Man accused of having drugs in car

Man accused of having drugs in car

SINGAPORE - A man driving a rented sports car had bundles of heroin and Ice in the vehicle when narcotics officers stopped him, the High Court heard on Tuesday.

Masoud Rahimi Mehrzad, 22, was also alleged to have had three forged identity cards and two forged driving licences at the time of his arrest three years ago.

Prosecutors also say a diary containing entries of drug deals was in the car and two stun guns were found at his home.

Masoud, who was a civil defence national serviceman at the time of his arrest, has been charged with trafficking 31.14g of heroin and 77g of methamphetamine, commonly known as Ice.

He faces the death penalty if convicted on the heroin charge.

Also on trial is Mogan Raj Terapadisamy, 25, a Malaysian who was seen getting into the rented Mazda RX8 before Masoud was arrested.

Mogan faces two non-capital charges of drug trafficking for handing the drugs to Masoud.

The prosecution told the court in its opening address on Tuesday that Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers staked out Masoud's Bishan flat in May 2010 after getting a tip-off that he was expecting a drugs delivery.

They then followed him to Bishan MRT station, where Mogan got into Masoud's car.

The officers saw Mogan place a bundle on Masoud's lap and Masoud hand over money to Mogan.

The duo parted ways and were arrested by CNB officers. Masoud was intercepted at the junction of Henderson Road and Jalan Bukit Merah. Mogan was arrested at a traffic light at the junction of Kallang Way and Aljunied Road.

Drugs were found in Masoud's car, including two bundles of heroin inside a locked compartment in the back seat. His DNA was found on the masking tape used to wrap the two bundles, Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Jumabhoy told the court.

The DPP accused Masoud of being involved in a relatively sophisticated drug dealing operation, saying that his age "masks the level of his criminality".

It is alleged that Mogan was Masoud's courier.

Masoud, who claims he had no knowledge of the drugs found in the car, is represented by Mr Peter Fernando and Mr Prasad Karunakarn. Mogan is defended by Mr Ram Goswami. The trial is expected to last 12 days.

selinal@sph.com.sg


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