SINGAPORE: Three Singaporean men and one woman have been arrested in anti-drug raids spanning four days and five different nightspots across the Joo Chiat, Marina Bay and Bugis areas.
In a news release on Sunday (Sep 10), the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said the youngest among the four suspects was a 19-year-old Singaporean teenager.
The crackdown, conducted from Thursday to Sunday, also involved police officers. Substances seized included ice, ketamine and ecstasy.
CNB Superintendent Lim Sze Yuk said the agency's anti-drug enforcement actions were necessary "so that members of the public can enjoy Singapore’s nightlife safely without fear of being harmed by fellow partygoers or motorists under the influence of drugs".
On Thursday night, around 20 people were checked in a nightspot in the Joo Chiat Road area. A 29-year-old female foreigner, whom CNB officers earlier saw exiting the nightspot, was arrested in a nearby carpark with about 1g of ketamine on her.
The same night, a 26-year-old Singaporean man was nabbed in the Dunman Road vicinity. About 3g of ice, 46g ecstasy, 90g ketamine and 60g of a powdery substance believed to contain controlled drugs were seized from the vehicle he was in, said CNB.
A 53-year-old Singaporean man was also arrested in the Petain Road area, with about 7g of ketamine on him.
From Saturday to Sunday, about 90 people were checked across four nightlife establishments in the Marina Bay and Bugis areas.
A 19-year-old was arrested for suspected drug offences.
Singapore adopts a strict policy of zero tolerance towards controlled drugs, said CNB, reiterating that the importation and exportation, possession, sale and consumption of controlled drugs or products containing controlled drugs is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
It is also an offence for a person to arrange for gatherings for drug abuse, and it is also an offence for the premise owner, tenant or occupier to permit the premises to be used for drug abuse or drug trafficking, the agency added.
Last month, forty-nine men were arrested in a Sentosa hotel villa for suspected drug offences, after police acted on a tip-off. The substances seized included ecstasy, ketamine and drug paraphernalia.