S'pore to hang marijuana dealer

S'pore to hang marijuana dealer

SINGAPORE (AP): A Singapore man has been sentenced to death by hanging after being found guilty of dealing in marijuana, his lawyer said on Friday.

Ashok Kumar Giri, 45, was given the death penalty for drug trafficking after being caught with five blocks of marijuana weighing a total of 2.37 kilograms, lawyer S.S. Dhillon said.

Mohamed Abdul Nasser Mohamood, who was arrested with Ashok, was acquitted, Dhillon said.

Under Singapore's strict drug laws, anyone found with over 500 grams of marijuana is presumed to be trafficking in the drug and faces the death penalty.

A total of 247 people were executed for drug offenses in the period from 1991 through 2000, according to official figures released earlier this year.