SINGAPORE : One of the alleged ringleaders of a high-society drug ring, Marx Oh, was on Wednesday sentenced to six years jail and five strokes of the cane for drug offences.
He had earlier claimed trial for five charges of drug possession and trafficking, but decided to plead guilty on Monday.
Thirty-two-year-old Oh, who is currently serving a year in jail for possessing cannabis and cocaine, was dealt another 12 months imprisonment for owning 16.25 grammes of cannabis.
He was given a five-year jail term plus five strokes of the cane for trafficking 0.56 gramme of cannabis by giving it Jeremy Mahen Chanmugam, who had since jumped bail and fled the country.
A third drug possession charge, for 2.44 grammes of cannabis, was taken into consideration.
The six-year jail term starts immediately and will run concurrently with the previous sentence.
Two other charges of trafficking cocaine have been stood down with Oh being granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, as the key witness to these charges, Guiga Laroussi, absconded in February.
Defence lawyer Subhas Anandan said, "I'm going to wait for some time, maybe a year or later, then if there's no development, I think I'll write to the Attorney General's Chambers to say look, give me some assurance that my client is not going to be charged anymore because it's not fair to have a serious charge hanging over your head."
The court heard that Oh had claimed trial due to a misconception about drug trafficking.
Mr Subhas Anandan said, "People should know that trafficking does not mean there should be monetary transaction. If you give it to somebody just for a puff, even if I share a joint with someone, I can be charged for trafficking."
The lawyer hopes Oh's sentencing will put an end to the much publicised October drug bust, as he is the last of a string of high profile personalities to be convicted. - CNA