#SavePannir: How Do We Hold Drug Syndicates Accountable in Singapore and Malaysia?

Malaysia is yet again confronted with the news that one of our nationals, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, has been issued a notice of execution scheduled for 20 February (Thursday).

Historically, both Malaysia and Singapore have maintained similar, if not identical, policies around drug controls, which include the death penalty for drug trafficking. While we have abolished the mandatory death penalty, we are still a country that firmly believes in substantial punitive punishment as a way to deter drug trafficking.

Despite our differences, both countries acknowledge that drug couriers are potential sources of information that could provide adequate information to expose and derail drug trafficking operations within our territories. I am sure that was a common motivation behind Singapore's Section 33B(2)(b) in their Misuse of Drugs Act and our abolished Section 39(2A), where drug couriers who have provided substantive assistance may be given a lesser sentence of life imprisonment.

Local Laws Cannot Address a Multinational Problem.

Parliament does try its best to create legislation that solves problems on occasion. Still, no solution offered can ever be perfect in an ever-evolving world, and the scheduled executions in Singapore for drug offences are an example of that.

It does not take a genius to know drug trafficking by nature implies a point of origin – in Pannir’s case, Malaysia, and a point of arrival – Singapore. Whenever a drug courier is arrested in one jurisdiction, it determines which government can investigate and punish said transgression. The question that bothers me is, what happens to the 'other' side, which suffered the same crime? What are Malaysia's options for holding drug syndicates accountable in Malaysia?

When we sentence and execute a drug courier, we lose a potential point of information or even witness to a drug offence that took place on our soil and vice versa. The syndicate who sent out the drugs are comfortably sheltered in Malaysia or Singapore and will be protected by the law's long-arm (or perhaps short-arm) in respective countries.

In recent years alone, more than a dozen drug couriers were executed in Singapore as they failed to provide substantive assistance to authorities in Singapore. Of those executed, a good number had good information on drug syndicate operations in Malaysia. Kalwant Singh, who was executed on 7 July 2022, knew of an ‘Anna’ in Malaysia; Gobi A/L Avedian, who was eventually granted a reprieve, had a ‘Vinod’ and ‘Guru’; whereas Pannir has his ‘Anand’. This information can all be verified as the court notes it during their hearings.

What Drives Drug Trade?

In the context of how IMMENSE the profit margins are for drug syndicates, here are some points of reference for the prices in respective countries according to reports by the Royal Malaysian Police and the Central for Narcotic Bureau, Singapore.

In July 2024, 4.15kg of crystal meth (Syabu, Ice) was seized by Singapore authorities, and the value of it was estimated to be around SGD500,000 – roughly SGD120/gram; in contrast, in the same month, PDRM seized 126.18kg of crystal meth and valued it at around RM4.14 million – roughly RM32/gram.

News of Heroin seized by PDRM in January 2025 indicates that 10,025 grams of Heroin was valued at around RM96,250 – roughly RM9/gram; in contrast, in June 2024, Singapore authorities seized 1,140gram of Heroin and 89gram valued around SGD 131,000 - discounting SGD10680 worth of crystal meth, roughly SGD 105/gram of Heroin.

To put it in plainer terms, the moment one single gram of crystal meth crosses the causeway, its value goes up by more than 10 times from RM32/gram to RM396/gram. For Heroin, it increases by 38 times from RM9/gram to RM347/gram!

Remember the record jackpot with a prize of around RM100 million? Shipping roughly 300kg of Heroin across the causeway can earn you the same. 

Transnational Crime is not a Zero-Sum Game.

Knowing what we know today, I cannot help but ask, why are we taking turns to foot the bill and losses from drug trafficking? Drug trafficking across the causeway harms all of us; why are we not exploring mutually beneficial policies that could potentially dismantle drug syndicates that are profiting immensely? A Parliament Question to the Legal Affairs Division in December 2024 indicated that between 2006 and 2024, only one request for Mutual Legal Assistance from Singapore was made in 2022. It is as if there are little to no attempts for cooperation and collaboration in addressing drug trafficking.

Fundamentally, Malaysia and Singapore hold similar views and principles around drug trafficking and the death penalty. Maybe it is time for both governments to come to the table to discuss effective strategies and common policies that would finally put an end to syndicates that are operating freely because of our reluctance to cooperate.

While we are at it, I have to wonder, it is nothing new that drug couriers from Malaysia are in prison in Singapore. When was the last time PDRM made a request to their counterparts for an interview and statement from any of these drug couriers? We may be a long way from a joint task force to combat drug trafficking, but the least we can do is to start the conversation today.

So, PDRM, when are you calling your counterpart down south?