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SINGAPORE: Twelve male foreign nationals were arrested for suspected drug-related offences in an overnight raid lasting more than four hours at a migrant worker dormitory in northern Singapore.<\/p>\n
Acting on information received, officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), together with other authorities, swept through the Woodlands compound from late Thursday (Nov 27) into the wee hours of Friday morning amid periods of heavy downpour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 11 Bangladeshis and one Myanmar national are between 23 and 40 years old. One of them, a 34-year-old Bangladeshi man, was arrested for suspected drug trafficking and drug consumption offences, the CNB said in a press release issued on Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a first, the media was allowed to accompany officers during a dormitory enforcement operation. Although led by CNB, the operation also involved the Singapore Police Force, Health Sciences Authority, Ministry of Manpower and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority as part of efforts to clamp down on illegal activities, including drug offences and other crimes.<\/p>\n
Eight reporters followed scores of CNB officers – some in plain clothes, others in vests – as they searched rooms where migrant workers resided.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Past midnight, as heavy rain eased to a drizzle, the media were allowed into two rooms where suspects were arrested after the scenes were secured.<\/p>\n
In the first room, located on the second floor of a block, five handcuffed men were being held on suspicion of drug-related offences. A few sat in a row on the floor with their belongings – mobile phones, wallets and identity cards – placed in sealed bags before them.<\/p>\n
The room contained six bunk beds arranged along three walls. The bunks, which appeared to hold clutter rather than mattresses, were separated by metal lockers draped with hangers and clothing, with luggage bags stacked on top.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n