Immigration & Checkpoints Authority and Central Narcotics Bureau joint news release: 2.2kg drugs seized; 7 arrested

On 9 May 2014 at about 8.45am, a male Malaysian driving a Malaysia-registered car was stopped by officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for routine checks upon arrival at Woodlands Checkpoint.

In the course of inspection, the ICA officers found bundles wrapped with black masking tape, suspected to be controlled drugs, hidden in the car’s front fenders. The seized bundles contained a total of about 1,153g of heroin and 185g of cannabis amounting to a potential street value of more than S$127,000.

Officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) were immediately alerted of the detection. The 33-year-old man and the exhibits found were handed over to CNB for further investigations.

CNB immediately launched a follow-up operation to nab the other drug offenders suspected to be involved in the same case. At about noon the same day, CNB officers swooped in on a Housing & Development Board (HDB) unit in Bedok and arrested one 57-year-old male Singaporean and two females within the unit. The females were Singaporean and Indonesian, aged 41 and 28 respectively. An assortment of drugs, including about 136g of heroin, small amounts of Ice, Ecstasy and Erimin-5 tablets, along with drug-related paraphernalia were seized from the unit.

About an hour later, another group of CNB officers deployed to a HDB unit in Tampines arrested three males between the ages of 27 and 38 from the unit. All three men are Singaporeans. About 700g of cannabis, 371 Erimin-5 tablets and small amounts of Ice and heroin were recovered from the unit.

In total, the drugs seized from the case at Woodlands Checkpoint and from the two subsequent raids in Bedok and Tampines yielded about 2.2kg of drugs worth about S$170,000. The total heroin seized would sustain about 615 addicts for a week.

The Home Team agencies will continue to conduct checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
10 MAY 2014

Drugs seized at Woodlands Checkpoint on 9 May 2014

Vehicle related to the drug case on 9 May 2014 seized at Woodlands Checkpoint

Drugs seized at Tampines unit on 9 May 2014