A man in Singapore, Tan Xianglong, 37, has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after attempting to frame his estranged wife by planting cannabis in her car.
Tan placed what he believed to be over half a kilogram of cannabis between the rear passenger seats, assuming it would be enough to have her charged with drug trafficking, a crime that can carry the death penalty in Singapore, which is known for its strict anti-drug laws.
However, less than half of the substance Tan planted was actual cannabis; the rest was filler.
According to court documents, Tan “intended to scare the involved party and to also get her in trouble with the law,” knowing that she would be “wrongly arrested and charged with a serious crime” if his plan succeeded.
On Thursday, Tan was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison for cannabis possession. The court also took into account a second charge related to the illegal planting of evidence.
Tan and his wife, who married in 2021 and separated a year later, were unable to file for divorce due to Singapore’s requirement that couples must be married for at least three years before they can divorce.
Tan believed he might be granted an exception if his wife had a criminal record.
In conversations with his girlfriend on Telegram last year, Tan boasted about his “perfect crime” to frame his wife.
On October 16, he purchased a brick of cannabis from a Telegram group, ensuring it weighed more than 500 grams (1.1 pounds), and placed it in her car the following day.
What Tan didn’t anticipate was that his wife’s car was equipped with a camera, which sent her a notification about a “parking impact.”
When she reviewed the live footage, she saw her estranged husband near her vehicle and reported him to the police for harassment.
During their investigation, the police discovered the drugs in the car and initially arrested Tan’s wife.
However, after failing to find incriminating evidence against her, the investigation shifted focus to Tan, leading to his arrest.
Tan’s lawyer attempted to argue that he was suffering from depression at the time of the crime, but the court rejected this defense, citing doctors’ assessments that he did not have any mental disorder.
In Singapore, drug possession can lead to imprisonment, and drug trafficking can result in the death penalty, depending on the substance and amount involved.
Although Tan faced a possible five-year prison sentence, his term was reduced because he cooperated with the investigation and pleaded guilty early in the trial, as noted in court documents.
Last year, Singapore executed two convicted drug traffickers over a five-month period, despite international human rights groups’ objections.
Source-BBC
