Singapore has executed a man for conspiring to traffic cannabis despite pleas for clemency from his family, activists and the United Nations.

Singapore is home to one of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws. It argues the laws are a necessary deterrent to drug crime which is a major issue across South-East Asia.

Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at dawn on Wednesday, April 26 over a plot to smuggle 1kg (35oz) of cannabis.

Activists said he had been convicted using weak evidence and received limited legal access during his prosecution.

But Singapore authorities said he had been given a fair trial and criticised those who questioned the decision of the courts..

On Wednesday, Tangaraju Suppiah’s family gathered at Changi Prison near the city’s airport in the east to receive his body.

Last year Singapore hanged 11 people, all on drugs charges – including an intellectually impaired man convicted of trafficking three tablespoons of heroin.

Meanwhile Singapore’s neighbouring country Malaysia abolished mandatory death penalties earlier this month, saying it was not an effective deterrent to crime.