SINGAPORE: A 16-year-old girl was among 112 suspected drug offenders who were nabbed in an islandwide anti-drug bust, said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in a statement on Monday (Oct 28).
The raids, which took place from Oct 14 to 25 in areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Clementi, Eunos, Jurong and Tampines, saw a variety of drugs seized with an estimated street value of about S$296,000.
On Oct 14, CNB officers raided a residential unit in the vicinity of Bedok South Avenue 3 and arrested two Singaporeans - a 42-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man - within the unit.
A total of about 1.7kg of Ice, 69g of heroin and 17g of cannabis were recovered from the unit.
Two days later, officers raided another two residential units of the same block in the vicinity of Eunos Crescent.
In the first raid, officers arrested a married Singaporean couple - a 37-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man.
About 32g of Ice, seven grams of heroin, six Erimin-5 tablets and some Ecstasy tablets were recovered from this raid.
The couple’s children, aged 10 and 12, were also inside the unit during the raid. The children have since been placed in the care of their next-of-kin.
In the second raid, officers entered the unit by force after the occupants - a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman - refused to grant officers access into the unit.
Both Singaporeans were arrested and a small amount of heroin was recovered from within the unit.
Official figures released by the CNB on Feb 14 showed that the number of drug abusers arrested in 2023 was up by 10 per cent to 3,101, compared with 2,826 arrested in 2022.
Of those arrested in 2023, 944 were new drug abusers, an 18 per cent increase from 802 in 2022.
More than half of the new abusers arrested were below the age of 30. Among them were five 14-year-olds, who were the youngest abusers to be arrested.
The number of female drug abusers also increased, with 454 arrested in 2023, compared with 408 in 2022.
Among the new abusers in 2023, 182 were female, compared with 171 in 2022.
Investigations into all arrested suspects are ongoing. - The Straits Times/ANN
