A Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer has been slapped with an 18-month jail term for switching urine samples at Woodlands Checkpoint to let a suspect off the hook so that he could avoid the paperwork needed to charge the man with a drug offence.
Mohamed Hafiz Lan, 41, a staff sergeant, was sentenced yesterday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of intentionally obstructing the course of justice.
His alleged co-conspirators, Muhammad Zuhairi Zainuri, 31, a sergeant, and Abdul Rahman Kadir, 43, a staff sergeant, have been charged with the same offence and will be dealt with at a later date. All three officers have been suspended since July last year.
They were working at Woodlands Checkpoint late at night on Aug 15, 2018, when they encountered Maung Moe Min Oo, a 32-year-old Singaporean, who was referred to them for further drug testing as a swab test showed he had consumed drugs. Subsequent investigations have since revealed that Maung had indeed taken drugs before attempting to enter Singapore.
Knowing he was unlikely to pass the urine test, Maung not only declined to give a urine sample but also sought leniency from the officers. The trio allegedly hatched a plan early in the morning of Aug 16, 2018, to give Maung a "second chance" - by switching his sample with one of their own, so he could pass the drug test.
The court heard that the officers did so because they knew the process of obtaining a sample from Maung could take some time, and switching his urine sample with a clean one could expedite the processing of his departure from the CNB office.
Mohamed Hafiz collected his own urine sample and hid it in a cubicle in a toilet at the checkpoint. When he took Maung to the toilet on the pretext of collecting his urine sample, he told him where to find the clean sample. He also gave Maung detailed instructions on how to pass the sample off as his own. Maung passed the drug test and was allowed to enter Singapore.
The misdeeds came to light when Maung left Singapore and tried to re-enter the country the next day. He was detained again for suspected drug consumption by a different CNB team. He then revealed to them that CNB officers had helped him pass his instant urine test the previous day.
Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPPs) Navin Naidu and Thiagesh Sukumaran said a heavier sentence was warranted, citing the extensive planning and premeditation. They also asked for a deterrent sentence to reflect the gravity of the offence.
"When a law enforcement officer commits an offence in the course of his duties, an uplift in sentence is imposed irrespective of the offender's motive, be it financial gain or plain laziness," said DPP Naidu.
