Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has conducted an island-wide drug enforcement operation from April 1 and April 12 and arrested a total of 139 suspected drug offenders from several places.
In a news release the CNB stated that during the operation they not only nabbed suspected offenders but also recovered a huge amount of drugs, which includes 589g of cannabis, 83g of 'Ice', 26g of new psychoactive substances (NPS), 22g of heroin, 119 Erimin-5 tablets, six 'Ecstasy' tablets and a small amount of ketamine and cocaine.
CNB stated that the estimated worth of the seized drugs is about S$17,000.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) supported CNB's operation and helped them to conduct the raids in the areas such as Bedok, Boon Lay, Bukit Batok, Jurong, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Telok Blangah, Toa Payoh, Woodlands and Yishun.
During the operation, on April 2 the CNB officers searched a unit in the vicinity of Sumang Lane. From the unit, they recovered a total of about 5g of 'Ice', 2g of heroin, a gramme of ketamine and a small amount of new psychoactive substance, as well as drug paraphernalia, a digital weighing scale and numerous empty plastic packets.
After the search operation inside the unit, the officers successfully arrested a 31-year-old female and three male alleged offenders aged between 34 and 45. The new release clarified that all of these arrested suspects are Singaporean residents.
As per the Misuse of Drug Act (MDA) Section 5, depending on the class and the quantity of the drugs trafficked, the penalty ranges from imprisonment and strokes of the cane to the mandatory death penalty.
Under section 8 (a) it is also a punishable offence to possess controlled drugs and if the person is convicted, then he or she has to face a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment or a fine of $20,000 or both.
The government of Singapore recently stated that introducing others to drug traffickers or teaching a person to consume drugs will be considered as an offence as per the amendments to the MDA that was passed on January 15 this year.
