SINGAPORE: Drugs worth more than S$105,000 were seized on Tuesday during an operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).
In a press release on Wednesday, CNB said the haul of drugs included about 2.4kg of cannabis, 150g of Ice and 105 Ecstasy tablets. A suspected drug trafficker and two of his associates were also apprehended in the vicinity of Mountbatten Road.
The two suspected associates – Singaporean men aged 56 and 26 – were spotted on Tuesday evening in a car arriving at a carpark in the area. The 26-year-old then went up a block where the suspected drug trafficker was staying. Soon after, both associates returned to the car and left the area.
They were arrested at the junction of Dunman Road and Haig Road with more than S$4,500 and more than 470 Malaysian ringgit on the 26-year-old. A search of the car revealed about 150g of Ice and 5 Ecstasy tablets concealed between the rear passenger seat and the car frame.
At the same time, the suspected drug trafficker’s residence was raided by CNB officers. A 24-year-old Singaporean man believed to be the drug trafficker was arrested there. A search of the unit recovered about 2.4kg of cannabis and 100 Ecstasy tablets. More than S$800 in cash was also recovered.
Investigations into the drug activities of all the suspects are ongoing. Those convicted of trafficking more than 500g of cannabis face the death penalty under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
1,000g of cannabis is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 143 abusers for a week, noted CNB.
In the press release, CNB reminded the public that cannabis is “a Class A controlled drug listed in the Misuse of Drugs Act”.
“Unauthorised consumption, possession, trafficking, import or export of any Class A controlled drug is an offence,” said the bureau. “Claims made about the efficacy of cannabis as a medicine are inconclusive and unproven. Experts from Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health had conducted an independent literature review on cannabis, where more than 500 articles from reputable medical journals were studied. Their findings were clear, that cannabis is harmful and addictive, especially to young people; and that half of the daily users of cannabis develop a dependence on cannabis. Cannabis can also cause irreversible damage to a person’s brain development.”
