3 arrested, drugs worth more than $105,000 seized by Central Narcotics Bureau

Drugs and cash seized in CNB operation at Mountbatten on June 28, 2016. PHOTO: CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU

SINGAPORE - Three suspects were arrested and drugs worth more than $105,000 were seized on Tuesday (June 28) by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

The haul consisted of about 2.4kg of cannabis, 150g of Ice and 105 Ecstasy tablets, CNB said in a press release on Wednesday.

The operation near Mountbatten Road resulted in the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker and two of his associates.

Ice and Ecstasy tablets were recovered from a car used by the two drug associates - aged 56 and 26. Both are Singaporean.

The car they were in was spotted by CNB officers on Tuesday evening near the block where the suspected drug trafficker stayed.

The 26-year-old suspect was seen going up the block.

After leaving the area, they were arrested at the junction of Dunman Road and Haig Road. A few thousand dollars in cash was found on the 26-year-old man. The drugs were found between the rear passenger seat and the car frame.

At the same time, CNB officers raided the residence of the suspected drug trafficker, a 24-year-old Singaporean man.

A search of the unit recovered about 2.4kg of cannabis, 100 Ecstasy tablets, and cash of more than $800.

Investigations into the drug activities of all the suspects are ongoing. Those who traffic in more than 500g of cannabis can be sentenced to death.

Claims made about the efficacy of cannabis as a medicine are inconclusive and unproven, CNB said in the release.

"Experts from Singapore's Institute of Mental Health had conducted an independent literature review on cannabis, where more than 500 articles from reputable medical journals were studied," said CNB.

They found that cannabis is harmful and addictive, especially to young people; and that half of the daily users of cannabis develop a dependence on the drug.

"Cannabis can also cause irreversible damage to a person's brain development," the Bureau added.

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