About 3.7kg of Heroin and 1kg of Cannabis seized at Woodlands Checkpoint

1. On 4 May 2017 at about 1.25pm, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers directed an arriving Malaysia-registered bus for further checks at Woodlands Checkpoint.



2. During the course of checks, a suspicious bag was found at the right-side of the driver’s seat. Further investigations by ICA officers led to the identification of two other suspected accomplices. The bag was opened in the presence of the three suspects and ICA officers uncovered some bundles, suspected to be controlled drugs. The 36-year-old male Malaysian driver and the two Malaysian men, aged 20 and 24, were subsequently placed under arrest. The case was handed over to officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). A total of about 3.7kg of heroin and 1kg of cannabis were seized. The estimated street worth of the seized drugs is about S$307,000.



3. CNB launched a follow-up operation to arrest the suspected intended recipients of the seized drugs. A 35-year-old female Singaporean and a 48-year-old male Singaporean were arrested in the vicinity of Jalan Pelatok, off Upper Changi Road East. CNB officers proceeded to raid the two suspects’ rented room, also in the vicinity of Jalan Pelatok, and recovered a total of about 260g of ‘Ice’, 130g of heroin, two ‘Yaba’ (methamphetamine) tablets, a small amount of cannabis and a bottle of methadone.



4. Investigations are ongoing. The Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine (or pure heroin) trafficked exceeds 15g. 15g of diamorphine is equivalent to 1,250 straws [1], which is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 180 abusers for a week. The MDA also provides for the death penalty if the amount of cannabis trafficked exceeds 500g.



5. Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security, and security checks are critical to our nation’s security. The Home Team agencies will continue to conduct checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands.

[1] This is estimated using a typical purity level of 4%, based on drug seizures in recent years. The number of straws that are actually made may vary according to the purity level of heroin used in the straws.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU

About 3.7kg of heroin and 1kg of cannabis were seized at the Woodlands Checkpoint (Photo: CNB)