SINGAPORE - Fourteen men aged between 28 and 61 were arrested during anti-drug operations on March 10 and 16.
A total of 280g of cocaine, 54g of cannabis and cannabis seeds, 33 Ecstasy tablets and 245g of brown powder suspected to contain controlled drugs were seized by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers during the operations.
Officers arrested a 61-year-old Singaporean man in a private residential estate near Upper Bukit Timah Road on March 10 and escorted him to his house.
Another 59-year-old man was arrested there, said CNB in a news release on Thursday (March 17).
CNB officers seized 277g of cocaine, 14g of cannabis and cannabis seeds, 245g of brown powder suspected to contain controlled drugs and drug paraphernalia from various locations in and around the unit.
Packets of cocaine were found in CD holders and hollowed-out books.
A 32-year-old Singaporean man was later arrested for suspected drug offences in the same residential estate.
CNB officers arrested 11 suspected drug abusers between the ages of 28 and 58 in a follow-up operation on March 16. Four were Singaporeans, while seven were foreigners.
They seized 40g of cannabis, 3g of cocaine and 33 Ecstasy tablets.
Superintendent Aaron Tang, director of the bureau’s intelligence division, said that drug abuse is a threat that targets every vulnerable segment of society.
He said: "It exacts a heavy price on abusers, their families and our community. This is why Singapore takes a zero-tolerance approach towards drugs - to prevent harm to our people and society, and to create an environment where our children can live and play safely."
He added: "Those who visit or live in Singapore must abide by our laws. If they choose to break them, they must be prepared to face the consequences."
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, it is an offence for a person to traffic in controlled drugs, offer to traffic, or to prepare for any controlled drug trafficking, on his own behalf or on behalf of someone else.
A person found guilty of trafficking more than 30g of cocaine faces the mandatory death penalty.
Investigations into the drug activities of all arrested suspects are ongoing.
