SINGAPORE, Nov 15 - A Malaysian man was sentenced to death by hanging after he was found guilty of drug trafficking in Singapore, a newspaper report said on Saturday.

Yong Vui Kong, 20, was found guilty in a Singapore court of bringing 47 grams of heroin into the city-state from Malaysia in June 2007.

Yong, who was 19 at the time, said he did not know the contents of the gift-wrapped packages and was ordered by his boss not to open them, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

However, Yong's accomplice, who has been sentenced to 22 years in jail, testified to receiving drugs from Yong five to six times last year. In Singapore, anyone caught carrying more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine, 500 grams of cannabis or 250 grams of methamphetamines faces a mandatory death sentence.

Penalties for consumption are also strict, including up to 10 years in jail, a S$20,000 fine, or both.