6.9kg of cannabis among drugs seized in raid at Cavenagh residence; man arrested

SINGAPORE – A 26-year-old man was arrested after drugs, including about 6.9kg of cannabis, were found in a private residential home in the vicinity of Cavenagh Road on March 19.

The drugs are estimated to be worth more than $184,000 and could feed the addiction of about 1,040 abusers for a week, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a media statement on March 21.

Officers conducting the raid had to force their way into the unit as the man refused to allow them in, CNB said. The man was later arrested in one of the bedrooms.

In the bedroom, officers found about 6.9kg of cannabis, 69g of methamphetamine, or Ice, 21g of ketamine and 20g of ecstasy. Six lysergic acid diethylamide stamps and six bottles of gamma-hydroxybutyrate, a party drug, were also seized.

The man also had a small amount of cannabis, ketamine, $6,229.50 in cash, and small amounts of foreign currency on him.

In his car, which was parked in the residential compound, another 25g of cannabis, 25g of psilocybin mushrooms, 17g of Ice, and a small amount of ketamine were found.

Investigations into the arrested man are ongoing. If found guilty of trafficking more than 500g of cannabis, he may face the death penalty.

This incident shows that cannabis is still in demand, said CNB’s deputy director for policy and administration Sng Chern Hong.

“CNB would like to remind the public that cannabis is not a ‘harmless vegetable substance’, as is often misleadingly portrayed, especially by those lobbying for cannabis legalisation,” he said.

He cited a review by the Institute of Mental Health, which showed that the drug causes brain damage and has been associated with serious mental health problems.

“Make no mistake about it, cannabis is harmful,” he said.