‘I thought he was offering me sweets – they were drugs’: Singaporean at Batam nightclub

SINGAPORE – When a young, smartly dressed Indonesian man approached Mr Mohamed in a dimly lit nightclub and asked him if he wanted “Nike” or “Superman”, it confused the Singaporean.

The 53-year-old, who gave his name only as Mr Mohamed, had visited the club in Nagoya town, Batam, with other Singaporeans after a round of golf earlier in the day.

Mr Mohamed said: “I couldn’t really hear what he was saying but he opened a small tin box with tablets placed on a bed of sponge.

“I thought they were sweets but he told me he was selling Ecstasy pills (embossed with Nike and Superman logos).”

Mr Mohamed said he repeatedly declined the offer, but was then shown “Batu” (rock in Bahasa Indonesia), also known as crystal methamphetamine, in a small clear plastic bag. He turned that down as well.

Mr Mohamed continues to play golf in Batam, at least four times a year, but now visits only nightclubs recommended by the golf tournament organisers.

He recounted the July 2025 incident to The Straits Times after learning about the Central Narcotics Bureau’s (CNB) participation in an anti-drug blitz at a Batam nightclub on Jan 18, 2026.

Working in conjunction with Indonesian counterparts, the National Narcotics Board (BNN) and other Indonesian agencies, the operation screened 100 people, including four Singaporeans.

The raid resulted in five Indonesians being arrested for drug-related offences.

While Singaporeans and permanent residents can be subjected to drug tests when returning from overseas, it is not common for CNB to participate in anti-drug raids in other jurisdictions.

Lawyer S. Balamurugan, who has handled criminal cases, said: “The law provides that it is an offence for Singapore citizens and PRs to consume or traffic drugs outside Singapore.

“CNB, being the authority in Singapore, can participate in the raid in Batam or other countries if allowed.”

He added: “I don’t think CNB can arrest but can check on Singaporeans and PRs with the assistance of the Indonesian counterpart.”

The anti-drug agency told ST it collaborates closely with international law enforcement counterparts, including Indonesia’s BNN, to stamp out drug activities.

Commenting on the operation, Assistant Commissioner Aaron Tang, deputy director of operations at CNB, said: “This operation serves as a warning to drug abusers who think that they can evade CNB’s detection by going overseas to consume drugs.

“There is no refuge for you if you continue to commit drug offences, especially if you disrespect the laws of other countries as well.”

Singapore permanent resident T. Vijay said the authorities, including CNB, should continue with targeted drug raids in Batam.

During a visit to Nagoya in 2024, he and his wife saw some patrons smoking marijuana and using other drugs.

Said the 55-year-old senior marketing executive: “I saw younger patrons drinking only mineral water and shaking their heads to the throbbing techno beat. I knew they were on E (Ecstasy pills).

“What shocked me was the drug pushers were the club’s waiters and waitresses, who went table to table asking if patrons wanted to buy joints (cannabis) or E.”

About 100,000 tourists – a majority from Singapore and Malaysia – visit Batam each month, the island’s tourism head, Mr Ardiwinata, who goes by one name, told Antara News in September 2025.

Not everyone travels to the island, about an hour’s ferry ride away, for shopping or golf.

A survey by BNN in 2019 showed that an estimated 16,000 workers on Batam, which has a population of around 1.2 million people, were involved in the drug trade.

In 1997, CNB arrested eight Singaporeans who returned from Batam after taking Ecstasy.

A year later, two Singaporeans were nabbed on the island after they consumed drugs at a nightclub.

The Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) was amended in 1998 to plug a loophole in the wake of figures showing a 26 per cent increase in Singaporeans testing positive for drugs at border checkpoints.

The law now has an extraterritorial nature – they apply to Singaporeans and permanent residents who offend overseas.

Consumption of a controlled drug, including cannabis which has been legalised in some jurisdictions, could result in imprisonment of between a year and 10 years, and may include a fine of up to $20,000.

Possession, trafficking, import or export of any controlled drugs (including cannabis products or edibles) are also offences under the MDA.

A citizen or permanent resident returning to Singapore can be subjected to a urine or hair test for drugs at the checkpoints.

In 2016, there were 81 cases of Singaporeans or permanent residents arrested in Singapore for consuming drugs overseas, while in 2013, there were 47 cases.

CNB figures showed that from January to August 2022,

41 Singaporeans and permanent residents

were arrested at various checkpoints in Singapore for suspected drug abuse overseas.

In March 2014, a 26-year-old Singaporean died after he reportedly took drugs at a music festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was among three festivalgoers who died while attending the festival.

That same month in Malaysia,

eight Singaporeans who were at a music festival in Kuala Lumpur were hospitalised

for suspected drug overdose.

Six Malaysians who took methamphetamine at the same festival died.

The authorities later charged 14 foreigners, including two other Singaporeans, with allegedly taking drugs at the event.

In February 2024, CNB and Indonesian national drug agency BNN agreed to form a strategic partnership to fight illicit drugs in South-east Asia, following a rise in drug-related crimes in the Riau Islands province, where Batam is located.

The area around Batam has been susceptible to incursions by drug syndicates using the Malaysia-to-Riau trafficking route.

In July 2024, Indonesia seized 106kg of crystal meth in waters off Batam, across the Singapore Strait, from a Singapore-flagged vessel chartered by a drug trafficking network.

One of the biggest illicit drug busts in the country happened in May 2025, when the Indonesian authorities seized nearly two tonnes of crystal meth in the waters of Riau Islands province, close to Batam.

The amount can feed eight million addicts, with each gram typically consumed by four people.

A 2025 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime showed seizures across the East and South-east Asian region hitting 236 tonnes – a 24 per cent increase compared with the 2023 haul – on the back of record production of methamphetamine in Myanmar.

The majority of methamphetamine that enters Indonesia is trafficked by vessels on maritime routes from the west coast of Malaysia to Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia.

Mrs Rica Irma Dhiyanti, a drug and family counsellor in Batam, told ST the drug problem could be tackled if public spaces such as clubs or hotels provide a “safety first” and a clear zero-tolerance approach to drug abuse.

The “safety first” concept includes having trained security guards and CCTV cameras that capture drug-related activities.

She said there should also be avenues to encourage the reporting of drug peddling in public spaces, and ground staff must be able to recognise if a local or tourist clubgoer is in trouble or unwell due to drugs and take steps to intervene.

Said Mrs Rica: “Public spaces should be made safe for tourists because most times they do not understand the new social environment…

“Drugs ruin individuals, families and the impression of a community. Clamping down on drugs is the collective responsibility of individuals, entertainment outlets and the country itself.”

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