Courier's error in delivering package of illicit drugs to wrong address lands ex-volleyball coach in jail

• Marvin Chew Xuan Han was sentenced to two years’ jail
• He pleaded guilty to two counts of consuming a controlled drug, and one count of possessing no less than 2.03g of methamphetamine
• His offences came to light after a package he sent, containing methamphetamine, was delivered to the wrong address

SINGAPORE — What was meant to be a delivery of drugs to an acquaintance's house via courier service provider Lalamove ended up being sent to a unit on the wrong floor, a mistake which has landed a former volleyball coach in jail.

On Thursday (Oct 21), Marvin Chew Xuan Han, 37, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to two counts of consuming a controlled drug, and one count of possessing no less than 2.03g of methamphetamine.

Two other similar charges of drug consumption were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

According to the National Registry of Coaches in Singapore, Chew was a volleyball coach who has been suspended since Aug 17 last year due to unspecified investigations.

Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Lydia Goh told the court that the case came to light on May 4 last year after a woman received a suspicious package from a Lalamove delivery man.

Investigations found that Chew had arranged for a packet containing not less than 2.03 grams methamphetamine to be sent to a 35-year-old man, Joo Jian Beng, on the evening of May 4 through Lalamove.

That evening, Joo had received a mobile notification from the delivery firm that his delivery had been completed, even though he had not received anything.

He called the deliveryman who informed him that he might have mistakenly sent the package to Joo’s neighbour who was living in the unit above him.

Joo then tried to retrieve the package from the woman by telling her he was the intended recipient. But rather than hand it over to him, she called the police instead.

The police seized the package, and were eventually able to locate and arrest Chew on the morning of May 8.

Following his arrest, Chew was escorted to a toilet at the Central Narcotics Bureau office at the Woodlands Police Divisional Headquarters to provide a sample of his urine.

Laboratory analysis of the sample found traces of methamphetamine, and Chew admitted to investigators that he had consumed “ice” — the street name for methamphetamine — a few days before his arrest.

In the wee hours of Oct 11 last year, while Chew was released on court bail, Chew and two other individuals were arrested by the police at a serviced apartment along South Bridge Road.

While the circumstances that led to the trio's arrest was not mentioned in court, APP Goh said Chew was again asked to provide a urine sample which was later found to contain traces of methamphetamine.

In delivering his sentence, District Judge Kevin Kwek said it was “entirely fortuitous” that the case came to light because of the erroneous delivery.

Otherwise, he noted that the Chew’s offences would have continued undetected.

Joo received a total sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment for the charges of possession and consumption of drugs.

For each of his two drug consumption charges, Chew could have been jailed for up to 10 years, or fined up to S$20,000 or both.

For possessing no less than 2.03g of methamphetamine, he could also have been jailed for up to 10 years, or fined up to S$20,000, or both.