Statement in Response to Media Queries

1. The capital sentence of death imposed on Mohamed Shalleh Bin Abdul Latiff (“Shalleh”), a 39 year-old Singaporean, who was convicted of having in his possession for the purpose of trafficking not less than 54.04 grammes of diamorphine, was carried out on 3 August 2023.

2. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grammes. 54.04 grammes of diamorphine is almost four times that amount, and is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 640 abusers for a week.

3. He was accorded full due process under the law, and was represented by legal counsel throughout the process.

4. Capital punishment is used only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs which cause very serious harm, not just to individual drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society. Capital punishment is part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy which targets both drug demand and supply.

Central Narcotics Bureau
3 August 2023