SINGAPORE - FIVE suspected drug offenders, including the alleged leader of a drug syndicate, were arrested on Thursday following an operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

CNB officers also seized 2.31kg of heroin, which has an estimated street value of more than $161,000.

Early Thursday morning, two Singaporean men, aged 45 and 51, were arrested after they retrieved a plastic bag with the drugs from a trash bin in Queen Street.

The bag had been placed there by a suspected drug courier, a 43-year-old Malaysian man who came by motorcycle.

This man was later arrested at his workplace in Penjuru Road.

Following investigations, the syndicate leader, a 44-year-old Singaporean man, was arrested at North Bridge Road. Another accomplice was nabbed at the Woodlands Checkpoint trying to leave Singapore in a lorry.

Investigations are ongoing. If convicted, the five men may face the death penalty.