DETENTION OF PERSON FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING ACTIVITIES

DETENTION OF PERSON FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING ACTIVITIES

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(Related to case of Yong Vui Kong ): **

3.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs whether the Government has detained under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act any person believed to have been organising drug trafficking activities which involved Yong Vui Kong, an inmate on death row.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Drug syndicates are typically trans-national criminal organisations. Yong Vui Kong was a member of such a trafficking syndicate and was part of the chain of operations, specifically to smuggle the drugs he was caught with into Singapore. Apart from Yong, there were indeed others who were part of the syndicate. Several have been prosecuted for trafficking. One has been detained under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (CLTPA) for drug trafficking activities.

We will not hesitate to take action against every member of a drug syndicate regardless of the role he plays. Our preferred approach is to proceed by way of prosecution. However, in cases where there is a lack of evidence that can be adduced in court, typically because witnesses are unwilling to testify in court for fear of reprisal, but there is strong and reliable intelligence implicating an individual as a member of such a drug syndicate, we are prepared to use the CLTPA. We will not allow such a criminal to go free and continue to pose a threat to society through his activities. Preventive detention under the CLTPA ensures that the threat the individual poses to society is neutralised by his removal into custody.

The threat of a ready supply of drugs to Singapore is real. We are a regional transport hub and located near the Golden Triangle where narcotics are produced. There are also clandestine laboratories producing synthetic drugs in the region. Hence, a key pillar of our drug control strategy is to tackle the supply side by eradicating trafficking activities through tough laws and robust enforcement. While our operations aim to cripple syndicates as a whole, our immediate defence each day is always to stop the drugs from entering Singapore and directly threatening the well-being of our people.

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