German national Julia Suzanne Bohl, who turned 23 in detention on 18 June 2002, was sentenced on Friday 21 June 2002 to five years in a Singapore jail after pleading guilty to three drug charges.[1] She had faced a mandatory death sentence after police seized 687 grams (24 ounces) of marijuana from her rented flat in March.[1][2]
From a capital charge to five years
Bohl made headlines in March 2002 when she was charged with drug trafficking after Central Narcotics Bureau officers seized 687 grams of marijuana and other drugs in her apartment in a wealthy part of the city-state.[2] A pharmacist’s report then showed the 687 grams of vegetable matter contained only 281 grams of cannabis, below the 500-gram limit that triggers the mandatory death penalty.[1][2] Three Singaporeans charged alongside Bohl, including the alleged dealer, also had their capital counts reduced on the same laboratory finding.[1]
Bohl was convicted of consuming ketamine, possessing marijuana and other drugs, and allowing her apartment to be used for narcotics trafficking.[1][2] In court she apologized, saying she deeply regretted what she had done, especially as a guest in the country.[2] Her lawyer was Subhas Anandan.[2]
Early release
Bohl was released from Changi Women’s Prison on 15 July 2005 after her five-year term was cut by nearly two years for good behaviour, having served about three years.[2] Prison spokeswoman Lim Soo Eng confirmed the one-third remission.[2] Officials said the 26-year-old was expected to leave Singapore immediately, and while in prison she had studied economics and social science from the London School of Economics by distance learning.[2]
