Lifting the Lid: The Drug-busters (Part 2)

When it comes to the cat-and-mouse game of combating the threat posed by drugs, officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) must be determined, astute and swift. In 2020 and 2021, officers successfully conducted a number of major busts and smashed syndicates that have employed new ways to traffick drugs. In this second of a three-part series, we look at the role of intelligence-gathering in fighting drugs.

PHOTO: Rytasha Passion Raj

As Station Inspector (SI) "Sarah" (not her real name) of CNB's Intelligence Division knows, gathering critical intelligence on drug traffickers’ operations are crucial to curbing their activities and keeping drugs out of the community. This is a mission that resonates deeply for her. “I’ve always wanted to be in law enforcement and do my part to keep Singapore safe,” she explained. “That’s why I joined CNB in 2000.” 

Piecing the Puzzle Together
In her current role as an Intelligence officer, SI Sarah is in charge of gathering information on suspected drug offenders in order to build cases against their drug activities, for effective enforcement. Her day-to-day responsibilities include conducting observations on the ground for drug-related activities.

Keeping a low profile comes second nature to SI Sarah, though she’s glad to share her experiences and correct any misperceptions that people have about her work. 

“For example, some people think that CNB officers ‘taste’ drugs to confirm their authenticity,” she said. “That is definitely not true; we’re extremely careful when it comes to evidence collection and, in fact, work closely with the Health Sciences Authority to analyse drugs from our seizures.”

PHOTOS: CNB

Committed to the Chase
When it comes to operations on the ground, SI Sarah is more than ready to go the extra mile. “Our work requires us to expect the unexpected,” she said. “That’s why we have to be operationally ready at all times.”

One memorable incident involved chasing down a male suspect in the Orchard area. “We were near a hotel and I was the only officer who was close by when the suspect made a run for it,” recalled SI Sarah. 

“After a long chase, the suspect ran up a flight of stairs, and I braced myself for a sprint upwards. However, the next thing I knew, he was sitting on the ground on the second floor, and just said, ‘I surrender.’ He was just too exhausted to run further!”

All for One
Collaboration is a key pillar of CNB’s culture. It was this spirit that helped her team seize over 40kg of illicit drugs and apprehend suspects during an operation in April 2021. SI Sarah describes her fellow officers as a family who work and play hard together as a team. 

“The success of this operation was due to a team effort, and included many long hours of careful analysis of intelligence as well as ground observations,” she said. “We’re satisfied with the outcome of this case, especially after all the hard work we’d put in.”

Read Lifting the Lid: The Drug-busters (Part 1)

Read Lifting the Lid: The Drug-busters (Part 3)

CNB Workplan Seminar 2021
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) held its annual Workplan Seminar on 1 June 2021. In his keynote speech at the Seminar, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, thanked officers for keeping Singapore drug-free and announced that there will be a series of events lined up to commemorate CNB’s 50th anniversary this year. 

CNB kept up a high operational tempo in 2020, making significant drug seizures and dismantling 24 drug syndicates. In his message to officers at the Seminar, Mr Ng Ser Song, Director CNB, said that drug syndicates would continue to seek inroads into the local drug market, increase their activities and expand their influence, and called upon CNB officers to remain vigilant in their fight against drugs.

Read the keynote speech by Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.