Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Steps to Deploy Stricter Measures to Prevent the Smuggling of Opium Through or Into Singapore

Question:

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of a recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report on the expansion of opium cultivation and production in Myanmar, what steps will CNB in concert with other relevant enforcement agencies in ASEAN take to deploy stricter measures to prevent the smuggling of opium, in particular through or into Singapore.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1.   The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) works closely with its international partners, through regular intelligence sharing and joint operations, to prevent illicit drugs from entering or transiting through Singapore. In 2022, CNB conducted 16 joint operations with its international partners to deal with drug syndicates operating in the region.

2.   Specifically on cooperation within ASEAN, CNB is a member of the ASEAN Airport Interdiction Task Force (AAITF) and ASEAN Seaport Interdiction Task Force (ASITF). The Task Forces provide a platform for ASEAN enforcement agencies to collaborate and interdict drug trafficking in the ASEAN region.

3.   There has not been any case of opium transhipment detected in Singapore for more than ten years. There were also no seizures of opium in Singapore in the last five years.

4.   While opium abuse has not been prevalent in Singapore since the mid-1990s, opium is also used to produce heroin, which is currently the second most commonly abused drug in Singapore. CNB continues to maintain the intensity of its enforcement efforts against all drugs, including heroin, given the harms of drug abuse.

5.   CNB will monitor the situation closely with its ASEAN partners.