Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Action Against the Sale of Illegal and Sexual Enhancement Drugs at the Junction of Aljunied Road and Geylang Road, by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether there can be further stringent action taken on the sale of illegal drugs and sexual enhancement drugs in an open and blatant manner at the junction of Aljunied Road and Geylang Road.

Answer:

1. Since 2015, we have adopted a coordinated, multi-agency approach to tackle illicit activities in Geylang, including the sale of sexual enhancement drugs and adulterated health products that the Member mentioned. The Police, Central Narcotics Bureau and the Health Sciences Authority are involved in these coordinated operations.

2. For this purpose, an inter-agency operations centre (IAOC) led by Police was established at the Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre in 2016.

3. Also, to optimise resources, the various law enforcement agencies have pooled and re-organised their respectively contracted auxiliary police officers into coordinated enforcement teams. Since 2016, these APO enforcement teams have performed high-visibility patrols in Geylang and enforced against a wide range of regulatory offences.

4. In 2017, the agencies jointly conducted more than 350 operations against peddlers of sexual enhancement drugs and illegal medicines, resulting in over 50 peddlers caught and seizures of about 735,000 units of such products with an estimated street value of about S$2 million.  Under the Health Products Act, offenders caught supplying adulterated health products are liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding S$100,000 or to imprisonment not exceeding 3 years or to both.  Foreign offenders caught peddling such sexual enhancement drugs and illegal medicines are repatriated and prohibited from re-entry into Singapore.

5. The Police have also installed more cameras and improved the lighting in Geylang. A total of 171 additional cameras have been installed since 2015. This is a four times increase from the 47 cameras in 2014. The increased street lighting and wider network of cameras have enhanced the deterrence and detection of illicit activities in the area, including at the junction of Aljunied Road and Geylang Road.

6. We will continue our tough enforcement approach against illegal activities in Geylang, and further step up as necessary.