CNB 4-day island-wide strike - 115 drug offenders arrested, more than 6kg of cannabis seized

In the latest island-wide operation conducted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), CNB officers carried out a sustained 4-day enforcement blitz, from 25 January 2016 to the morning of 29 January 2016, arresting a total of 115 suspected drug offenders. Drugs seized in this island-wide operation included a total of about 6.2kg of cannabis, 2.5kg of heroin, 1kg of ‘Ice’, 1,807 Erimin-5 tablets, 506 ‘Ecstasy’ tablets, and a small amount of cocaine, ketamine and LSD stamps. The drugs seized have a total estimated street value of about S$595,000.

The operation was supported by officers from the Singapore Police Force, and the areas covered included Balestier, Bukit Merah, Geylang, Jalan Besar, Jalan Sultan, Senja Road, Yio Chu Kang and Yishun.

Raids at Geylang and Balestier

The range of operations conducted in the island-wide operation included raids on budget hotels and nightspot establishments. At one of the budget hotel raids in the vicinity of Balestier, CNB officers arrested a 35-year-old male and a 22-year-old female in a room. Both are Singaporeans. From within the room, officers recovered about 9.7g of ‘Ice’, a digital weighing scale and various drug paraphernalia, including an improvised ‘Ice’-smoking apparatus [see photo below].

Photo-1: ‘Ice’, digital weighing scale and other drug paraphernalia seized in CNB raidat a hotel in Balestier on 25 January 2016.

Photos-2 & 3: ‘Ice’ and ‘Ice’-smoking apparatus seized in CNB hotel raids in Balestier on 25 January 2016.

Fernvale Drug Store Raided

In another operation, a drug store in Fernvale was raided and an assortment of drugs were seized. At about 8pm on 27 January 2016, CNB officers raided a unit in Fernvale Link, apprehending two suspected drug traffickers, a 29-year-old and a 33-year-old, both male Singaporeans. From within the unit, officers recovered a total of about 6.2kg of cannabis, 2.4kg of heroin, 120g of ‘Ice’, 438 ‘Ecstasy’ tablets, and 300 Erimin-5 tablets. From a sling bag belonging to the 33-year-old male, officers recovered a total of about 87g of ‘Ice’. A 37-year-old female Singaporean was also arrested within the unit.

Thereafter, CNB officers proceeded to raid the residence of the 33-year-old male at Punggol Central, as it was believed there could be more drugs there. From within the unit, officers recovered a total of about 630g of ‘Ice’ and 719 Erimin-5 tablets [see photos below].

Photo-4: Some of the drugs seized from CNB raid at unit at Fernvale Link, on 27 January 2016. Drugs seized included cannabis, heroin, ‘Ice’, ‘Ecstasy’ tablets and Erimin 5 tablets.

Photo-5: Close-up view of cannabis seized from CNB raid at unit at Fernvale Link, on 27 January 2016

Investigations into the drug activities of all arrested persons are ongoing. Those convicted of trafficking in more than 500g of cannabis may face the death penalty. The Misuse of Drugs Act also 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.

CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
29 JANUARY 2016

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

[2] 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 the heroin used in the straws.