S’porean Shares How He Was Caught By CNB At Home For Substance Use

When asked if he knew who they were, Shawn replied: “I have an inkling.”

He was brought into his room and was asked by the officers if he had anything to declare. He admitted to having a vape, but after further questioning revealed he also had substances in his drawer. The officers then searched the drawer, found the items, and handcuffed him.

“My first reaction was – handcuffs are really, really heavy,” he recalled.

“I think because I cooperated, they didn’t turn my entire room upside down. They weren’t throwing stuff here and there, they carefully went through everything to make sure everything was still in an organised state after they left.”

Shawn also said that as the officers took him away, he asked them to lock his main door as his mother and sister were asleep and he did not want them to be woken up or see him in handcuffs.

“They very nicely obliged, to my surprise,” he added.

In a second part of his video, Shawn revealed that while he was in the vehicle with the officers, one of them struck up a conversation with him, asking about his interests and hobbies. The officer then asked if he had a girlfriend. When Shawn said no, the officer replied: “That’s good, because your six months inside is going to fly by.”

That was the moment Shawn knew things were serious. 

He recalled: “I actually had the physical sensation of a bottomless pit in my stomach because that was the moment I actually realised that I was in trouble. Not when they were at the main door, not when put handcuffs on me, but at that very moment.”

He was later taken to Bedok Police Station, where he underwent a urine test that, unsurprisingly, returned positive results. Shawn was placed in a holding cell for the night. There, he met another man who had gone through a similar experience twice and shared insights on prison etiquette and stories.

“His information was invaluable because it really became the foundation for my entire experience inside,” Shawn added. He also recalled the night as difficult, grappling with anxiety and uncertainty about what would happen next.

In an attempt to cope, he decided to try meditating, hoping to show the CNB, through the CCTV, that he was a “good, kind, person”.

“I wasn’t even actually meditating. I just closed my eyes, got into the position [and just sat there]. Obviously, this was not going to help one bit. It doesn’t matter if you are the person who discovered penicillin, the law will come down hard on you in Singapore if you choose to break it,” he said.

The next morning, Shawn was allowed to call his mum, which he recalled as an emotional moment.

“I think everything leading up to that point, my entire life actually, I’ve always felt like a disappointment. And having the consequence of actually being under the custody of the police was a stark realisation that I had f***** up,” he added.

His mother did not reprimand him, but instead showed him support. He was later informed by an officer that he would be sent to rehab, though he said he did not realise at the time that this meant prison.

When asked how the officers were alerted in his comments, Shawn replied that it was never disclosed to him.

He, however, revealed that he was charged under the Drug Rehabilitation Centre regime, a primarily rehabilitation-focused pathway for individuals caught for drug consumption rather than a criminal conviction.

Many viewers expressed pride in him for getting clean and for bravely sharing his story so openly.