Forfeiture of luxury sedan acquired through drug trafficking proceeds

On 13 November 2024, the Court issued a Forfeiture Order for a luxury sedan owned by a Singaporean man, which he acquired partially using the proceeds of his illegal drug activities.

Case Details

2. The man was arrested on 27 September 2023 in an anti-drug operation targeted at drug transactions conducted through chat applications. He was 18 years old at the time. About 70 grams of ‘Ice’, 79 grams of cannabis mixture, 42 grams of ketamine and 1 gram of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) were recovered from the luxury sedan, which was also seized. CNB’s investigations revealed that the sedan was partially funded by proceeds of his drug trafficking activities.

3. He was charged for having in his possession for the purpose of trafficking not less than 31.98 grams of cannabis, and possession of controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and for the conversion of benefits of drug dealing under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA). He was also charged for several traffic offences including driving without a valid driving license.

4. On 8 August 2024, he was found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 12 months detention in a reformative training centre and disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for a period of two years. Additional nine charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. Following his sentencing for the predicate offences, CNB applied to forfeit the luxury sedan and this was granted by the Court on 13 November 2024.

5. Under Section 53 of CDSA, it is an offence for any person to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer, remove from jurisdiction, acquire, possess, or use, 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.

6. AC Ong Pang Thong, Director of Investigation Division, said:

“Drug traffickers, regardless of age, who derive benefits from illegal drug activities will face the consequences of their illicit activities. It is immaterial of how the drug benefits were used to support their lifestyle, in this case converted to a luxury sedan, CNB will relentlessly pursue and take enforcement action against all drug trafficking activities and deprive the offenders of their illicit gains.”

7. CNB will continue to actively pursue and investigate illegal drug activities, including illicit drug money laundering to ensure that drug offenders do not benefit from their financial gains derived from drug dealing. This aligns with the Government’s continued efforts to ensure that our laws remain effective against the evolving crime landscape and dovetailed with the standards set out by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)¹.

CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
14 November 2024

¹ The FATF is an intergovernmental body that develops international standards to fight money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing. Singapore is a member of the FATF.