ICA & CNB Joint News Release - Breaking the 'Ice'

It is known that ‘breaking the ice’ refers to attempts to initiate social interchanges and conversation. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers had a different form of ‘ice’-breaking experience when they worked together to foil a drug smuggling attempt through Changi Airport.

On 10 Aug 2013 at about 8.45am, a 47-year-old female Vietnamese was stopped by ICA officers for checks when she arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 2. During the course of checks, ICA and CNB officers detected 2 slabs of crystallized substances wrapped in aluminium foil in her luggage.

The slabs were found to contain about 4.1kg of substance suspected to be ‘Ice’. The estimated worth of the haul is about S$630,000. CNB is investigating the female Vietnamese for drug importation, and if convicted, she may face the death penalty. Preliminary investigation suggested that the ‘Ice’ was likely meant to be re-exported and was not meant for the local Singapore market.

Our borders are our first line of defense in safeguarding Singapore's security. The security checks are critical to our nation’s security. ICA will continue to conduct our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands. The same methods of concealment used by contraband smugglers may be used by terrorists to smuggle arms and explosives to carry out attacks in Singapore. The Home Team agencies will continue to work relentlessly to stamp out illicit drug activities at the checkpoints.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
11 AUGUST 2013

Photo 1 by CNB: The luggage used to conceal the drugs

Photo 2 by CNB: Drugs detected by ICA & CNB on 10 Aug 2013