Singapore’s drug enforcement agency boasted last night about two busts that netted enough drugs to supply thousands of users.
The Central Narcotics Bureau said it arrested seven Singaporeans, aged 28 to 41, in two drug busts on Wednesday. None was identified.
A total of about 3.7 kilograms of heroin – enough smack for close to 2,000 people for a week, the agency said – was seized along with 14 grams of ice, 26 grams of cannabis, 2 grams of “vegetable matter” – we’ll assume shrooms or weed – and five unknown tablets.
It pegged the street value of the combined haul at S$268,000 (US$193,000).
In the first operation, three were arrested on Boon Lay Drive after officers raided an apartment. A 37-year-old man and 39-year-old man tried to evade arrest but were later subdued, it said. A 41-year-old woman tried to hide behind a rack filled with food but was also found.
The bureau said it recovered drugs including seven bundles and packets containing about 2.5 kilograms of heroin, along with various drug paraphernalia, discarded in a rubbish chute.
In the second operation, officers raided another apartment on Fernvale Street and arrested a 30-year-old man and 28-year-old woman with an alleged 1.1 kilograms of heroin, 4 grams of Ice, 2 more grams of “vegetable matter,” and one tablet.
That evening, in a follow-up operation, officers intercepted a vehicle on Clementi Road and arrested a 29-year-old man and 40-year-old man with 85 grams of heroin and one tablet believed to be a controlled drug.
Investigations into all arrested suspects are ongoing.
If found guilty of trafficking more than 15 grams of pure heroin, they may be sentenced to death.
The Central Narcotics Bureau has started becoming more vocal and detailed about its drug busts after protests against the death penalty for drug offenders blew up this year. Ten people have already been executed since the city-state resumed executions in March.
Reform activists say the harsh capital punishment scares offenders away from seeking help as doctors have to report any drug users to the bureau.
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