11 Bangladeshis arrested in Singapore anti-drug sweep

Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has detained 12 migrant workers—11 of them Bangladeshis—in a major anti-drug operation in the Woodlands area.

The raid was conducted from late Thursday night to early Friday morning amid heavy rain, CNB said in a statement on November 28.

A 34-year-old Bangladeshi man was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and consumption. This was the first CNB-led operation in which media were allowed direct access.

The multi-agency raid involved the Singapore Police Force, the Health Sciences Authority, the Ministry of Manpower, and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.

Officers searched two dormitory rooms. Five men were detained from the first room, while one was held from the second, where drug paraphernalia—including a glass bottle, cut straws, and a rubber tube with a mouthpiece—was seized.

The detainees were later transported for further processing.

CNB Deputy Commanding Officer Jayanthas Tong Hieng Jie reiterated Singapore’s zero-tolerance stance, warning that drug activity “has no place in society, workplaces, or living quarters,” and offenders will face firm action.