16-year-old boy among 87 suspected drug offenders nabbed in CNB raids

Bottles containing liquid believed to be liquid methamphetamine concealed in packaging of skincare products (left) and packets of ‘Ice’. PHOTOS: CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU

SINGAPORE - Two young mothers, aged 19 and 26, were using drugs in front of their five-year-old and four-month-old children when officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) raided the apartment in Bukit Merah on Monday (Nov 23).

The two were among 87 suspected drug offenders arrested over five days from Monday to Friday in islandwide raids conducted by CNB officials.

They seized drugs estimated to be worth nearly $400,000, including heroin, cannabis, ketamine, Ecstasy, and LSD stamps.

A 16-year-old Singaporean boy was the youngest person arrested, the CNB said on Saturday in a news release that included details of the operations in Boon Lay, Buangkok and Aljunied.

The two children at the Bukit Merah unit have been placed in the custody of their next of kin.

Investigations into all suspects are currently ongoing.

In a raid on Thursday of a unit near Edgefield Plains in Punggol, the CNB also found that inhabitants had erected a false wall to conceal a storeroom, in which a 25-year-old Singaporean man was hiding.

He resisted arrest and "necessary force" was used to subdue him, the CNB said, without elaborating.

A total of 631g of Ice, 113g of cannabis, 16 Ecstasy tablets, and $25,393 in cash were taken by CNB officials in the unit. Another 25-year-old Singaporean man and a 24-year-old Singaporean woman in the apartment were also arrested by officers.

The CNB conducts periodic raids to stem drug use in Singapore. An operation earlier this month saw the agency seize 14.1kg of heroin, its largest heroin bust in 19 years.

Packets of Ice and cannabis seized in the vicinity of Edgefield Plains during the operation, on Nov 26, 2020. PHOTO: CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU

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