Police arrested a 41-year-old Singaporean man at Woodlands Checkpoint after finding 4.7kg of heroin and other drugs in a Malaysian-registered car on Wednesday (16 April 2025).
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers sent the vehicle for further checks after spotting suspicious behavior from the passenger.
During their first search, ICA officers found a slab of 10 tablets believed to be controlled drugs on the man.
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) was called in. A deeper search uncovered a bag on the car’s floorboard containing about 4,703g of heroin, 3,288g of cannabis, 1,613g of ‘Ice’ (methamphetamine), and 1,000 Erimin-5 tablets.
Authorities also seized cash amounting to S$689.60.
More Drugs Found at Home
After the arrest, CNB officers brought the man to his home in the Woodlands Drive area early the next morning.
A search of his residence revealed more illegal substances, including about 307g of ketamine, 172g of ‘Ice’, 99g of Ecstasy, and many vape devices suspected to contain controlled drugs.
The total value of drugs seized in this operation is estimated at more than S$845,500.
The quantity could supply about 3,730 drug users for a week, according to authorities.
Legal Consequences
Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 states that people found guilty of importing or exporting certain amounts of controlled substances may face harsh penalties, including the death penalty.
The death penalty may apply to cases involving more than 15g of diamorphine (pure heroin), more than 250g of methamphetamine, or more than 500g of cannabis.
The ICA said it will keep working with CNB to stop drug smuggling attempts across Singapore’s borders.
Security checks at checkpoints will stay strict to prevent smugglers from bringing in “undesirable persons, weapons, explosives and other contrabands”.
This case is one of the major drug seizures at Woodlands Checkpoint, a key entry point between Singapore and Malaysia.
