Johannes van Damme | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 June 1935 Middelburg, Netherlands |
| Died | 23 September 1994 (aged 59) Changi Prison, Singapore |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, businessman |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Johannes van Damme (1 June 1935 – 23 September 1994)[1] was a Dutch engineer and businessman executed in Singapore for drug trafficking.
After purportedly being recruited to work as a courier for a Nigerian drug trafficking organization, van Damme was subsequently caught up in a D.E.A.-led international sting operation, which resulted in him being arrested while in possession of nearly 6 kilograms of high-quality heroin during a stopover in Singapore's Changi Airport.
Despite vehemently protesting his innocence and claiming he was tricked into smuggling narcotics, van Damme was found guilty at trial and sentenced to death. Singaporean authorities were undeterred by pleas for clemency from both the Dutch royal family and the government of the Netherlands. His sentence was carried out in 1994; van Damme thus became the first European to be executed in Singapore since its independence.
- ^ "Een grote, onhandige jongen Van Damme deed het graag kalmpjes aan" [A big, clumsy boy Van Damme liked to take it easy]. Trouw (in Dutch). 23 September 1994. Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023 – via Delpher.