A 37-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in jail after attempting to frame his estranged wife by planting over 500 grams of cannabis in her car, a plan that could have led to her facing the death penalty.
As reported in Channel News Asia, Tan Xianglong, an IT manager living with his parents, was reportedly angry over his ongoing divorce proceedings and devised what he believed to be the "perfect crime," hoping that creating a criminal record for his wife would expedite their separation. He purchased 11 packets of cannabis for S$2,600 from a Telegram channel and, wearing gloves, placed the drugs in the rear passenger seat of his wife's vehicle.
The scheme began to unravel when Tan's wife received a notification from her in-car camera app, alerting her to Tan's suspicious behavior near her vehicle. She immediately contacted the police, who subsequently discovered the drugs during a search of the car.
Tan, who expressed concerns to an ex-girlfriend about retrieving the drugs before being caught, was arrested later that day.
Prosecutors highlighted the sophisticated and "nefarious purpose" behind Tan's actions. Under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act, he could have faced up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to S$20,000.
Previously:
• Video appears to show Baltimore cop planting drugs at a crime scene
• Head-shop CCTV catches police informant/undercover planting crack
• LA cop unwittingly films himself planting drugs in suspect's wallet
• Florida cop accused of false drugs arrests held on $1 million bond
