Singapore executes citizen for conspiracy to smuggle 1kg of cannabis
- Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at Changi Prison Complex on Wednesday. He was convicted in 2017 of conspiring to traffic 1,017.9 grams of cannabis
- His execution came despite a concerted local and international effort by campaigners to persuade the Singapore government to grant him clemency
“Singaporean Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, had his capital sentence carried out today at Changi Prison Complex,” a spokesman for the Singapore Prison Service told AFP.
Suppiah was convicted in 2017 of “abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic” 1,017.9 grams (35.9 ounces) of cannabis, twice the minimum amount that merits the death sentence under the city state’s tough drug laws.
Authorities have said the amount of cannabis Suppiah was convicted for could feed the addiction of about 150 abusers for a week.
He was sentenced to death in 2018 and later appealed against his conviction and sentence, but it was dismissed in August 2019. On Tuesday, the prisoner submitted an application for his case to be reviewed, but a Court of Appeal judge ruled there was no grounds to reopen the case.