Australian journalist charged with drug trafficking and possession
<cite class="auth">Reuters - Saturday, July 19</cite>
SINGAPORE, July 18 - A Singapore court has charged an Australian journalist for drug-related offences that could see him jailed up to 20 years and caned 15 times if convicted, court documents showed on Friday.
Peter Lloyd, a senior journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was charged with possessing and selling about 1 gram of methamphetamine for S$100 to a Singaporean, court documents said.
Punishment for drug possession is a jail term of up to 10 years and a S$20,000 fine, while the penalty for drug trafficking is 20 years imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane.
Lloyd was arrested on Wednesday after Singapore's drug police had received a tipoff. Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau said in a statement that Lloyd had allegedly supplied a Singaporean man with drugs and was caught with 0.8 grams (0.028 ounces) of methamphetamine, one smoking pipe and six syringes.
It said Lloyd's urine had tested positive for amphetamine.
A court official said that Lloyd is currently under police detention.
"We can confirm the arrest of ABC journalist Peter Lloyd in Singapore on drug-related charges on 16 July," said a spokesman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
"The Australian High Commission in Singapore has visited Mr. Lloyd and is providing consular assistence to him."
A statement from the director of ABC News said that Lloyd was on leave in Singapore from his posting in New Delhi and that the organisation has not been told the full details of the case.
Singapore drug laws are among the world's toughest and anyone caught carrying more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine, 500 grams of cannabis or 250 grams of methamphetamines faces a mandatory death sentence by hanging.
In 2005, Australian drug smuggler Tuong Van Nguyen, 25, was hanged in Singapore after he was convicted of smuggling 400 grams of heroin from Cambodia through Singapore's Changi airport in 2002.
<cite class="auth">Reuters - Saturday, July 19</cite>
SINGAPORE, July 18 - A Singapore court has charged an Australian journalist for drug-related offences that could see him jailed up to 20 years and caned 15 times if convicted, court documents showed on Friday.
Peter Lloyd, a senior journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was charged with possessing and selling about 1 gram of methamphetamine for S$100 to a Singaporean, court documents said.
Punishment for drug possession is a jail term of up to 10 years and a S$20,000 fine, while the penalty for drug trafficking is 20 years imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane.
Lloyd was arrested on Wednesday after Singapore's drug police had received a tipoff. Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau said in a statement that Lloyd had allegedly supplied a Singaporean man with drugs and was caught with 0.8 grams (0.028 ounces) of methamphetamine, one smoking pipe and six syringes.
It said Lloyd's urine had tested positive for amphetamine.
A court official said that Lloyd is currently under police detention.
"We can confirm the arrest of ABC journalist Peter Lloyd in Singapore on drug-related charges on 16 July," said a spokesman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
"The Australian High Commission in Singapore has visited Mr. Lloyd and is providing consular assistence to him."
A statement from the director of ABC News said that Lloyd was on leave in Singapore from his posting in New Delhi and that the organisation has not been told the full details of the case.
Singapore drug laws are among the world's toughest and anyone caught carrying more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine, 500 grams of cannabis or 250 grams of methamphetamines faces a mandatory death sentence by hanging.
In 2005, Australian drug smuggler Tuong Van Nguyen, 25, was hanged in Singapore after he was convicted of smuggling 400 grams of heroin from Cambodia through Singapore's Changi airport in 2002.
