1kg cannabis and two cannabis plants seized in CNB operation on 3 September 2016

In an operation conducted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on 3 September 2016, about 1kg of cannabis, two cannabis plants and an assortment of other drugs were seized by CNB officers. The haul of drugs seized in this operation was estimated to be worth about S$38,000.

On 2 September 2016, officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at the Changi Airfreight Centre detected a parcel believed to contain cannabis. CNB took over the parcel from ICA and conducted immediate follow-up investigations.

On 3 September 2016, the intended recipient of the parcel, a 35-year-old Singapore male, was arrested outside a HDB unit at Buangkok Crescent. A small packet of ‘Ice’ was recovered from within a bag carried by the male suspect.

CNB officers proceeded to raid the male suspect’s residence at Punggol Place. A search of the unit recovered about 13g of ‘Ice’, a small amount of heroin, a small amount of crushed Erimin-5 tablets and various improvised drug-smoking apparatus. CNB officers also found two cannabis plants that were being cultivated and various equipment used for the cultivation of cannabis plants. A 27-year-old female Thai national was also arrested within the unit.

Investigations into the drug activities of all the suspects are ongoing. Regardless of how controlled drugs are procured, all drug offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty for those convicted of trafficking in more than 500g of cannabis^[1]. The cultivation of the cannabis plant is also an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Any person convicted of cultivating the cannabis plant may face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment or $40,000 fine or both.

The Central Narcotics Bureau would like to remind the public that cannabis is a Class A controlled drug listed in the Misuse of Drugs Act. Unauthorised consumption, possession, trafficking, import or export of any Class A controlled drug is an offence.

A study done by the Task Force on Youths and Drugs in 2015 found that many young people held the view that cannabis is a ‘soft drug’, and that the harms and addictiveness of cannabis were less serious than tobacco. They cannot be more wrong. There have also been claims made about the efficacy of cannabis as a medicine. However, such claims are inconclusive and unproven. Experts from Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health had conducted an independent literature review on cannabis, where more than 500 articles from reputable medical journals were studied. Their findings were clear, that cannabis is harmful and addictive, especially to young people; and that half of the daily users of cannabis develop a dependence on cannabis. Cannabis can also cause irreversible damage to a person’s brain development. Half of the daily users of cannabis develop a dependence on cannabis. For more details, you can find out more from: https://www.mha.gov.sg/mediaroom/press-releases/59th-session-of-the-commission-on-narcotic-drugs-in-vienna-austria/

CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
4 SEPTEMBER 2016

See photos below

Photo-1: Two cannabis plants, seized in CNB operation on 3 September 2016

Photo-2: Cannabis seized in CNB operation on 3 September 2016.

[1] 1,000g of cannabis is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 143 abusers for a week.