Singaporean fugitive faces capital charge for drug trafficking after deportation from Thailand
Benny Kee Soon Chuan, 31, was charged with capital offences in Singapore court on Friday after being deported from Thailand for alleged drug trafficking. He’s accused of conspiring to traffic 2kg of methamphetamine in December 2020, directing accomplice to collect the parcel. Kee, evading capture since 2016, was arrested in Thailand, where assets worth US$453,000 were seized.
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.
