The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) have arrested two Singaporean men at Tuas Checkpoint and seized more than S$74,000 worth of drugs from them.
On Tuesday, ICA and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a joint press release that on the night of Mar 31, checkpoint officers noticed a motorcyclist appeared to be taking a long time for arrival immigration clearance at the automated clearance lane.
When the officers went forward to render assistance to the rider, they observed that the male Singaporean had "blood shot eyes and was slurry in his speech".
Suspecting that the lone 26-year-old motorcyclist could be riding under the influence of drugs, they directed him for further checks, including swabs.
The authorities revealed that he was found positive for methamphetamine, also known as "Ice". They added that plastic straws were also found in his bag.
ICA officers conducted a search of his motorcycle and found two bundles concealed under the motorcycle seat. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) were alerted to this incident and the bundles were later found to contain a total of about 825g of 'Ice'. The haul of drugs was estimated to be worth more than S$74,000.
CNB investigated the case further that led to the arrest of a 49-year-old Singaporean man on 1 April 2018. The man was believed to be the intended recipient of the 'Ice' concealed under the motorcycle seat. The press release stated that about 2g of 'Ice' was also recovered from within a sling bag carried by the man.
The authorities said that investigations into the drug activities of both the suspects are still going on. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of methamphetamine trafficked exceeds 250g. Authorities said that 825g of methamphetamine is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 471 abusers for a week.
"Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security, and security checks are critical to our nation's security," the joint press release added.
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.
