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For trafficking, Pang Kah Yung, 36, was yesterday given the minimum five years' jail and five strokes of the cane allowed for under the law.
A bachelor and the oldest of three siblings, he was also jailed 12 months concurrently for consuming Ecstasy.
The court heard that he drove to a Bishan carpark on the night of Aug 4 last year and met undercover narcotics officer Jeffrey Lim Yu Meng at a void deck.
He handed over a plastic packet with 10 yellow tablets, each marked 'E', together with some other tablets, to the Central Narcotics Bureau officer.
Staff Sergeant Lim gave him $470 in marked notes, of which $450 were for the sale. Officers then closed in and arrested Pang.
His urine samples were also analysed and found to contain Ecstasy.
His lawyer, Mr Thangavelu, told the court that a week before the incident, Pang had chatted online with two men who wanted him to sell them the drug.
When Pang refused, one of the men pestered him daily with phone calls and SMS messages.
'The accused caved in to relentless pressure and harassment by an agent provocateur who incited the commission of the crimes which he would otherwise not have committed,' said Mr Thangavelu, when he pleaded for leniency yesterday.
The lawyer told the court that Pang had done well in his career, gaining glowing testimonials from his superiors.
The Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduate in electronics engineering embarked on part-time studies while working to improve himself. In view of his good performance, his company sponsored his 2 1/2-year engineering degree from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, where he obtained first-class honours.
During his 14 years with the company, Pang was progressively promoted.
He was also involved in completing major infrastructure projects in Singapore and providing support to other overseas projects.
Mr Thangavelu said Pang was an 'exemplary employee' and at the time of his offence was facing stress at work.
He had a significant increase in his workload, tight project schedules and substantial claims by sub-contractors because of project delays.
He was not the typical drug trafficker and did not profit from the sale, Mr Thangavelu said.
'He comes from a close-knit family and is a filial son. He is well-educated and has consistently shown a desire to improve his qualifications and upgrade his skills,' he added.
Two other drug trafficking charges were taken into consideration during the sentencing.
The maximum penalty for drug trafficking is 20 years and 15 strokes; and 10 years and/or a $20,000 fine for drug consumption.
