Singaporean arrested in Vietnam suspected of drug trafficking

SINGAPORE – A 43-year-old Singaporean man suspected of being involved in drug trafficking has been arrested in Vietnam, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said.

His involvement was discovered during an investigation in February 2021, CNB said in a June 30 press release. The man, who operated from overseas, allegedly supplied drugs to associates in Singapore for further trafficking and sale.

Immigration records showed he left Singapore on September 27, 2019. CNB then contacted its overseas counterparts for information on his whereabouts.

Following close cooperation with the Anti-Drug Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam, the man was deported and handed over to the CNB on June 28.

CNB Deputy Director of Operations Leon Chan attributed the arrest to cooperation and trust between the bureau and its Vietnamese counterpart.

Mr Chan added that the man, who “thought he could continue to supply drugs to associates in Singapore with impunity simply by establishing a base in Vietnam… was sorely mistaken”.

The man, whose name CNB refused to reveal, was charged with drug trafficking in connection with the February 2021 investigation upon his return to Singapore. As a result of the same investigation, a 39-year-old man was arrested with approximately 472g of heroin. He was found guilty and sentenced.