A MAN who originally faced a capital charge of drug trafficking was given seven years' jail and five strokes of the cane on Friday for heroin trafficking.
Abu Bakar Mohamed Taib, 38, a former warehouse assistant, admitted to having 64 packets containing 442.09g of granular substances which were found to contain 4.84g of heroin, for trafficking.
The offence happened in a car outside the Subordinate Courts at Havelock Square on Sept 3 last year.
A district court heard that Central Narcotics Bureau officers intercepted a black Honda Stream at the carpark that day and arrested Abu Bakar with two others.
The driver of the car was also seen alighting and going into the courthouse before the officers moved in and arrested him.
The car was searched and a total of 64 packets were found in the glove compartment and in an orange plastic bag from the front passenger seat floorboard.
Investigation showed that Abu Bakar had been trafficking since May last year.
He would receive consignments of heroin from a Malaysian trafficker known as Besi, whose real name is Azhar Abdul Rahman, 28, a Malaysian.
Azhar's case is pending.
Abu Bakar ordered a consignment of heroin on Sept 2 for $10,800. Besi was to collect the cash and someone else was to hand over the consignment to Abu Bakar.
Abu Bakar received the drugs from an unknown man at Ten Mile Junction in Woodlands the next day. He admitted that he would sell the heroin at $270 a packet and at $2,200 if his customer bought 10 packets.
The others arrested outside the Subordinate Courts had their charges dropped and were cleared recently after Abu Bakar said they were not responsible.
Abu Bakar, who has several convictions including consumption and possession, could have been jailed for up to 20 years and received 15 strokes of the cane for trafficking.
