Forfeiture of ill-gotten proceeds from drug trafficking

        On 18 March 2025, the Court issued orders against two Singaporean men, aged 31 and 34, to forfeit the benefits derived from their drug trafficking and other illegal activities. A total of SGD49,169.47 and MYR390 were forfeited to the State.  

Order against 31-year-old convicted drug trafficker 

2.     The 31-year-old man, who was 29 at the material time, was first arrested by CNB officers for a drug trafficking offence on 31 March 2023. He was subsequently released on Court bail. On 5 February 2024, the man was arrested again for a drug trafficking offence, whereby his bail was revoked. During the arrests and investigations, the man’s assets totaling SGD23,776.21 and MYR390 were seized. CNB’s investigations revealed that the man’s seized assets included illegal proceeds from drug trafficking.

3.      On 11 March 2025, the man was convicted of drug trafficking charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) and was sentenced to a global imprisonment term of 12 years and 9 months, and 11 strokes of the cane. The imposed sentence included a 19 months’ imprisonment for three money laundering charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA). An additional 19 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. Following his conviction, CNB sought an order to forfeit the benefits derived by him from drug trafficking and other illegal activities. 

Order against 34-year-old convicted drug trafficker 

4.     The 34-year-old man, who was 26 at the material time, was first arrested by CNB officers for a drug trafficking offence on 3 May 2017. Upon his arrest, cash and several pieces of gold jewellery were seized. The man was subsequently released on Court bail. On 12 February 2018, the man was arrested for the second time, again for a drug trafficking offence, whereby his bail was revoked. In the course of the arrests and investigations, the man’s assets totaling SGD25,393.26 was seized by the CNB. CNB’s investigations revealed that the man’s total assets were disproportionate to his known income.

5.     On 25 April 2019, the man was convicted of, amongst others, drug trafficking charges under the MDA and was sentenced to an imprisonment term of 15 years and 10 months, and 16 strokes of the cane. Following his conviction, CNB sought an order to forfeit the benefits derived by him from illicit drug trafficking activities¹.

6.     Under Section 53 of the CDSA, it is an offence for any person to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer, remove from jurisdiction, acquire, possess, or use the benefits of drug dealing. The maximum penalties are a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000 or both. 

7.     The Government will continue to review and enhance our laws to ensure that they remain effective in addressing the evolving crime landscape, and are aligned with the international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)².

CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
24 APRIL 2025

¹ Under Section 6 of the CDSA, any person who is convicted of one or more drug dealing offences is liable to have his benefits of drug dealing confiscated.

²  The FATF is an intergovernmental body that develops international standards to fight money laundering, terrorism financing (TF) and proliferation financing (PF). Singapore is a member of the FATF.