SINGAPORE RECORDS SPIKE IN DRUG USERS

S$6.52 million worth of drugs seized last year

THE authorities dismantled 28 drug syndicates and conducted 1,400 operations with other agencies to foil drug-smuggling attempts in the island republic last year.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) also seized about S$6.52 million worth of drugs in street value, said The Straits Times.

Overall, 31.1kg of crystalline methamphetamine (meth) or also known as ‘Ice’, 27.8kg of cannabis and 37.8kg of heroin, among other drug types, were seized.

Authorities voiced their concerns as more drug abusers were arrested by the CNB last year, with an increase in the use of methamphetamine and new psychoactive substances (NPS).

The numbers tell their own story with 3,524 abusers arrested, a new peak in six years and two per cent up from 2018, the CNB noted.

Todayonline meanwhile said CNB noted that the number of Chinese drug abusers arrested went up by nine per cent, while the number of abusers in other ethnic groups did not change significantly.

“The number of Chinese abusers arrested jumped to 497 last year, up from 404 in 2018.”

The Straits Times quoted CNB director Ng Ser Song, who warned that regional developments especially the increase in meth supply could have “adverse downstream implications on our drug situation”.

“Globally, the new psychoactive substances market continues to evolve and expand quickly. The push for drug liberalisation in some countries is a cause for concern.

“We must also not underestimate the impact of social media and mass media in spreading misinformation that normalises drug use, especially among our young,” he said.

Three in five of these new drug abusers were under 30 years old.

There was also a spike in the number of older drug abusers arrested last year, with 93 aged 50 and above, almost double the number from 2018.

“Most new drug users took methamphetamine, with 73 per cent of new abusers caught for the drug last year. But NPS has overtaken cannabis as the second most commonly abused drug among new abusers, with users of these narcotics making up around 10 per cent of the new abuser population,” said CNB.