Fugitive Singaporean nabbed in Bangkok for alleged drug trafficking
A 50-year-old Singaporean man, Tan Leng Chong, was arrested by Thai authorities at a Bangkok hotel on Saturday (Jul 5). Ecstasy, ketamine, and Erimin-5 were seized as part of the raid.
Seized personal effects including mobile phones, passports, car keys and cash from the raid belonging to the suspects, including Singaporean Tan Leng Chong (pictured). (Photo: Facebook/ONCB; pixelation as received)
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BANGKOK: A Singaporean wanted for alleged drug trafficking in the city-state has been arrested at a Bangkok hotel during a raid by Thai police, immigration officers and officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
In a statement on Facebook, the ONCB announced on Tuesday (Jul 8) that it successfully arrested 50-year-old Tan Leng Chong last Saturday. It added that Tan was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in Singapore in May for allegedly trafficking drugs from Thailand to the city-state.
Secretary-General of the ONCB, Phanurat Lakboon, said that Tan was found hiding in Pattaya, Chonburi province, as reported by Thai news outlet Bangkok Post.
He had used Thailand as a hiding spot as well as a base for his drug trafficking operations, according to a news report by NBT Connext of the Thai government’s public relations department.
ONCB said that last Saturday, investigators learned that Tan had travelled to Bangkok and he was seen meeting two Indonesians at a hotel.
An Indonesian man and woman believed to have been involved in the drug smuggling operations were also arrested in the hotel room, where illegal drugs such as ecstasy, ketamine, and Erimin-5, a prescription-only derivative of the depressant benzodiazepine, were seized.
Their identities were not revealed by the Thai authorities, though according to the NBT Connext report, they were a married couple.
ONCB said that following the arrests, Thai authorities searched two properties in Pattaya linked to Tan. However the subsequent raids did not find any more drugs or illegal items.
According to the NBT Connext report, Prin Mekhanan, the Director of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB), ONCB, added that the investigation found that the suspect allegedly has a history of ordering drugs from central Thailand before smuggling them out of the country by hiding them in a carry-on bag on the plane.
A Maserati car with a fake licence plate was also seized around the time of the arrests.
The statement from the ONCB said that Singapore’s CNB has previously requested cooperation from the Thai NSB, and ONCB to help investigate and track down Singaporeans with arrest warrants for drug cases who have fled to live in Thailand.
These wanted individuals are to be brought back to Singapore for prosecution upon their arrest. The statement also said that the ONCB has coordinated with the CNB to exchange information in the investigation and tracking of individuals with arrest warrants.
In an update late on Wednesday, CNB said the suspect had been returned to Singapore and subsequently arrested by the bureau for alleged drug trafficking. He will be charged in court on Thursday for drug trafficking offences.
"His involvement was uncovered during the course of CNB’s investigation into a drug trafficking case in July 2024," the bureau added. "The accused person in that case, a Singaporean aged 64 at time of arrest, is facing a charge for trafficking about 4,990g of cannabis mixture."
CNB noted that the 50-year-old man had been out of Singapore since Jul 27, 2023 and an arrest warrant was issued over his "suspected involvement in supplying drugs to associates in Singapore for their subsequent trafficking and sale in Singapore".
The bureau also thanked ONCB for its "strong support" regarding this case, highlighting the working relationship between both agencies.
"CNB will continue to collaborate closely with our foreign counterparts to track down drug syndicates and dismantle their networks no matter where they operate," it said.
"CNB will spare no effort to apprehend such criminals and bring them to justice."
The suspect is also being investigated over his alleged involvement in money laundering. Accounts believed to be linked to him and amounting to more than S$242,000 have been frozen.
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, drug trafficking carries the death penalty in Singapore.
