SINGAPORE. APPEALS COURT REJECTS APPLICATION TO OVERTURN DEATH SENTENCE OF 2 MEN

the Singapore Appeals Court rejected the application of two men to have their death sentence overturned.
19-year-old Nigerian Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi and 33-year-old Okeke Nelson Malachy, who was stateless, had been found guilty of importing heroin with a street value of $1.5 million into Singapore.
Iwuchukwu had been arrested at the Changi Airport Transit Lounge on November 27, 2004, with 100 capsules containing more than 700 grams of heroin in the bag he was carrying.
He claimed he did not know the capsules contained drugs. He said a man in Dubai called "Mr Smith", had asked him to pass the capsules containing "African herbs" to a sick friend called "Marshal" in Singapore.
Iwuchukwu was supposed to get US$2,000 in return for the capsules.
Malachy, a garment wholesaler, was arrested later that same day after he was identified by Iwuchukwu as "Marshal". He also denied his involvement to import the drugs.
Iwuchukwu broke down and sobbed uncontrollably when he heard the Court's decision and had to be carried out of the room by police officers.