SINGAPORE: Benny Kee Soon Chuan, a 31-year-old Singaporean man, was handed a capital charge on Friday (20 September) after being deported from Thailand.

Kee is wanted for his alleged involvement in two drug trafficking cases.

Kee is accused of conspiring with Low En Quan Justin to traffic methamphetamine in early December 2020.

The conspiracy reportedly involved a parcel containing 12 packets of meth, weighing at least 2kg, intended for delivery to an individual named “Senthil Kumar” at a shop in Orchard Towers.

Authorities allege that Kee directed Low to collect the parcel, which Low picked up on 2 December 2020.

Low, now 21, has already faced legal consequences for his role in the case. He pleaded guilty to attempting to traffic at least 249.99g of meth and was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison, along with 15 strokes of the cane.

In addition to the December case, Kee is also linked to another drug trafficking incident from November 2022, according to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

A 29-year-old man involved in that case received an eight-year sentence with seven strokes of the cane.

Despite the charges, Kee evaded capture for several years, having left Singapore in April 2016.

The CNB coordinated with international authorities to locate him.

On 17 September, he was arrested in Samut Prakan province, Thailand, where he was reportedly living in luxury.

Thai authorities acted on a tip-off from the CNB, leading to Kee’s apprehension and subsequent deportation to Singapore.

Upon his return on 19 September, Kee was taken into custody by the CNB.

Reports indicate that during the arrest, assets worth 15 million baht (S$585,000) were seized, including luxury items like Rolex watches, gold jewelry, and cash in various currencies.

Kee was remanded by a Singapore court on Friday, with permission granted for further investigations.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on 26 September.

If convicted of conspiring to traffic a Class A controlled drug, Kee could face the death penalty.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: Two Fujian-born individuals previously convicted in Singapore’s S$3 billion money laundering case, Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, have been named among 14 people charged with human trafficking in the Philippines.

The charges were filed by the Department of Justice on 17 September, involving a major scam operation in Tarlac province.

Zhang and Lin, along with former Bamban mayor Alice Guo, are accused of forcing hundreds of people from various nationalities into working for a scam centre located in Bamban, Tarlac.

The site was raided in March 2024, leading to the discovery of 432 Chinese nationals, 371 Filipinos, and other individuals from Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Rwanda.

Guo, who was stripped of her mayorship in August, was arrested in Indonesia in September following her escape from the Philippines in July during an investigation into her alleged involvement in Chinese criminal syndicates.

The scam operation was run on land owned by Baofu Land Development, a company founded in 2019 by Guo, Zhang, Lin, Cypriot national Huang Zhiyang, and Philippine national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon.

All five individuals are among those facing charges of “qualified human trafficking,” a non-bailable offence which typically carries a penalty of life imprisonment.

Qualified trafficking, as defined under Philippine law, involves cases where syndicates, slavery, or forced labour are present.

Zhang and Lin were sentenced to 15 months in prison in Singapore after pleading guilty to money laundering and forgery charges.

They were deported to Cambodia in June after completing their sentences.

Guo, who had evaded Philippine authorities by hiding in Singapore for a month, was extradited back to the Philippines on 9 September and is now facing additional charges, including graft-related offences, tax fraud, and laundering criminal proceeds amounting to 100 million pesos (S$2.3 million).

Guo, whose birth name is allegedly Guo Hua Ping, is also under investigation for fabricating her nationality to qualify for public office, a role restricted to Philippine citizens.

She is accused of falsifying her birth records to conceal her Chinese nationality.

The case has drawn further attention due to the involvement of Huang Zhiyang, reported to be the head of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos), which have been linked to human trafficking and scam operations.

Pogos, while licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), have been criticized for exploiting workers and being a front for criminal activities.

In 2022, Pogos contributed 53.1 billion pesos (S$1.3 billion) to the Philippine economy, but lawmakers continue to express concerns about their operations.

Zhang and Lin’s current whereabouts remain unclear following their deportation.

Cambodian authorities reported Zhang was deported again on 16 July, but the destination country was not disclosed.