SINGAPORE: In a joint statement on Monday (Dec 29), the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that a 39-year-old Malaysian man had been arrested for attempting to smuggle drugs. These drugs included around 3,272 grams of cannabis and 1,709 grams of methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” through Woodlands Checkpoint.
The man had been referred for enhanced checks at Woodlands Checkpoint on the night of Dec 22, based on information received from the ICA’s Integrated Targeting Centre.
The statement said that officers from ICA were able to uncover two black bundles that they believed to contain controlled drugs in the man’s bag. They then called in officers from CNB, who conducted further checks.
Seven such bundles in total, believed to contain controlled drugs, were found among the man’s possessions. These contained cannabis and methamphetamine, and have an estimated worth of over S$237,000.
The statement added that the amount of drugs discovered on the man could potentially feed the addiction of around 1,440 drug abusers for one full week.
The statement added that investigations into the incident are still ongoing, and ICA and CNB noted that under Section 7 of Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, individuals who import into or export from Singapore more than 250 grams of methamphetamine, or 500 grams of cannabis, could face the death penalty.
“ICA will continue to work with the various controlling agencies and conduct security checks at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle drugs, undesirable persons, weapons, explosives, and other contrabands across our borders,” the agencies added.
While the Dec 22 haul of cannabis and “ice” the man from Malaysia attempted to smuggle into Singapore was sizable, it is by no means the largest in the history of the city-state.
In April 2021, the CNB seized over 40 kilos of drugs, including heroin and cannabis, from the home of a 22-year-old Malaysian man near Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4. These included around 16.5 kilos of heroin, 2 kilos of methamphetamine, 110 ecstasy tablets, and 23.6 kilos of cannabis.
The drugs were estimated to have a value of over S$2.3 million and were said to have been enough to feed the addiction of more than 12,400 drug abusers for an entire week.
It was the highest amount of heroin and cannabis seized in Singapore since 2001 and 1996, respectively. /TISG
Read also: Twelve migrant workers arrested in overnight CNB raid at Woodlands dormitory
