DJ Tenashar arrested twice - in JB, then Singapore

Celebrity DJ Tenashar was released from prison less than two months ago.
Celebrity DJ Tenashar was released from prison less than two months ago.

Celebrity DJ Tenashar has been arrested twice in the space of three days - for drug offences in Johor, then trespass and drug-related offences in Singapore.

Released from prison less than two months ago after serving a sentence for drug offences dating from 2015, Ms Debbie Valerie Tenashar Long was arrested after an incident last Friday in Johor Baru. A Johor police source told The Straits Times that the 33-year-old's urine samples had tested positive for drugs.

She was subsequently released and returned to Singapore where she was then arrested for criminal trespass and suspected drug-related offences on Sunday, Singapore police confirmed to ST.

Attempts to reach Ms Long for comments were unsuccessful.

According to a source, she entered the Berjaya Waterfront Hotel in JB in the early hours of July 5 and slept on a couch in the lobby, even though she was not a guest there.

When approached by staff later, Ms Long, who seemed to have been drinking, asked if she could be driven to a police station to make a report. She claimed she was "trying to run and hide from being murdered".

In that police report, seen by ST, Ms Long claimed that she had been kidnapped, robbed and beaten in Johor on July 4 by a group of men sent by a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer who had previously handled her case. She alleged that she suffered injuries, including a sprained foot and bruised upper thigh. She did not remember how she was kidnapped, adding that she was later thrown into a ditch.

Officers suspected that she had used drugs and arrested her instead, said a Johor police source.

Police in Malaysia are still investigating the case, but she was released on bail.

Singapore police said that after being alerted at 7.30pm last Sunday, a 33-year-old woman was arrested at a unit in Edgware Road for criminal trespass and suspected drug-related offences. ST understands Ms Long is currently assisting with investigations.

Earlier this year, the former FHM cover girl was sentenced to 18 months' jail after pleading guilty to drug possession and consumption. She served around 12 months, including time spent in remand.

After her release, she insisted that she did not knowingly consume the drugs she was found guilty of taking, and claimed a former boyfriend had placed drugs in her luggage without telling her. She also made a complaint to CNB about the conduct of one of its officers. CNB told ST that it is looking into these allegations.

When told of the recent developments, her mother, who wanted to be known only as Madam Low, 55, said she last talked to her daughter over two weeks ago. She added: "I thought she could change after prison."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 12, 2019, with the headline DJ Tenashar arrested twice - in JB, then Singapore. Subscribe