Raymond Ko Mun Cheung
| Raymond Ko Mun Cheung | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1967 Hong Kong |
| 💀Died | 30 July 1993 (aged 26) Changi Prison, Singapore30 July 1993 (aged 26) |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Hongkonger |
| 💼 Occupation | Laborer |
| Criminal status | Executed |
Raymond Ko Mun Cheung (1 January 1967 - 30 July 1993) was a Hong Kong national executed in Singapore for drug trafficking
Biography[edit]
Born in Hong Kong in 1967, Raymond Ko Mun Cheung was working as a laborer at the time of his arrest.
Arrest at Changi Airport[edit]
On the afternoon of 12 December 1986, Raymond Ko Mun Cheung and his accomplice An Man Keny Chiu Sum Hing arrived at Changi Airport on a flight from Bangkok, intending to fly to Amsterdam at 9:30pm the next day, after first spending the night in Singapore. Implementing a new government policy of selectively frisking passengers flying in from drug producing countries, the pair were taken to the customs office and searched by narcotics officers after they had cleared immigration. They were both discovered to be carrying 16 packets of heroin, weighing a total of approximately 2kgs, sewn into specially designed vests and were promptly arrested.[1]
Shortly after, another Hong Kong national was arrested at a hotel on Havelock Road in connection to the heroin Ko and An Man were caught with. Ho Pak Keung, believed to be the leader of the group, was detained after he had enquired at the hotel reception desk whether the other two men had checked in yet. When searched, Ko and An Man's names were found written in a notebook in his possession, and in his hotel room 3 plane tickets for the next day's 9:30pm KLM flight to Amsterdam were found by the authorities.[1]
On 15 December 1986, Ko and An Man were charged with the importation of a total of 2 kg of heroin, with an estimated value of $4 million. Ho Pak Keung faced a charge of abetting them to import the drugs.[2]
Trial[edit]
Beginning on 11 March 1990, the trial heard Ko's testimony of agreeing to smuggle "something" from Bangkok to Amsterdam for a man named Ah Lock, as he had stood guarantor for Ko's gambling debts he owed in Hong Kong. Although he felt suspicious that what he would carry could be something illegal, as he was promised a fee of HK$45,000 for successfully delivering the items, Ko claimed to be under the impression he was carrying diamonds, not illegal drugs.[3]
However, had An Man admitted right away that he knew he was carrying heroin, and did so at Ah Lock's request as he was also in financial difficulty. His defence Lawyer Tan Kay Bin argued that An Man was not guilty of 'importing' drugs, as he never intended to dispose of them in Singapore and was only transiting through on his way to another jurisdiction.
Verdict[edit]
On 15 March 1990, Ko and An Man were both found guilty as charged and sentenced to death for importing 2 kilograms of heroin into Singapore, contrary to Section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Justice Chan Sek Keong rejected Ko and An Man's defence, stating Ko was already familiar with narcotics before he traveled to Singapore and would have known the items he were carrying were not diamonds. He also dismissed An Man's assertion that he did not 'import' drugs, as the Misuse of Drugs Act was clear and unambiguous that 'import' was defined to mean bringing illegal drugs anywhere into the geographical limits of Singapore.[3]
Execution[edit]
Raymond Ko Mun Cheung and An Man Keny Chiu Sum Hing were both hanged at Changi Prison on the morning of 30 July 1993.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Three nabbed as police seize $4 m worth of heroin at airport". The Straits Times. 14 December 1986.
- ↑ "Hongkong trio charged with drug offences". The Straits Times. 16 December 1986.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "2 from HK get death for drug smuggling". The Straits Times. 16 March 1990.
- ↑ "Two Hongkongers hanged for trafficking". The Straits Times. 26 August 1993.
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