Five suspected drug offenders, including the alleged leader of a drug syndicate, were arrested yesterday in an operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

CNB officers also seized 2.31kg of heroin with an estimated street value of more than $160,000.

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

The bag was placed there by a suspected drug courier, a 43-year-old Malaysian man who rode a motorcycle. The man was later arrested at his workplace in Penjuru Road.

Following investigations, the suspected syndicate leader, a 44-year-old Singaporean man, was arrested in North Bridge Road.

Another alleged accomplice was nabbed at the Woodlands Checkpoint while he was trying to leave Singapore in a lorry.

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