Suspected drug offender arrested in Ang Mo Kio flat after 13-hour stand-off
The suspect's flat at Block 508 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8. Photo: Asyraf Kamil/TODAY
SINGAPORE — A dramatic 13-hour stand-off between a suspected drug offender and law enforcement agencies led to the evacuation of dozens of residents in an Ang Mo Kio block on Thursday (March 31) night, some of whom ended up spending a night at the nearby Cheng San Community club.
According to multiple media reports, the 48-year-old suspect locked himself and his elderly mother in their rental flat when officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) arrived at their home on the eighth floor of Block 508 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 at about 9pm.
The Lianhe Wanbao evening daily reported that the suspect threatened to kill his mother with a chopper. Shin Min Daily News said in a front-page report that he blocked the entrance to the flat with two gas canisters, and threatened to ignite them. Photos in both newspapers showed the tattooed-suspect eventually being led-away by police officers clad in tactical gear.
A joint statement from the CNB, police and Singapore Civil Defence Force merely said the suspect “refused to open the door and threatened to burn himself”. He was also seen wielding a chopper. Another occupant in the flat, which the authorities did not identify, was unharmed.
Mr Mohaideen Osman, 39, and his family of six living on the ninth floor were among those evacuated out of safety concerns. They waited at the void deck for about two-and-a-half hours before moving to the nearby Cheng San CC.
“They allocated one of the rooms to us, and we just slept there on the floor. There were hot drinks,” the project manager at a construction firm told TODAY. Police officers, grassroots volunteers and MP Ang Hin Kee were on hand through the night to help the affected residents but said little about why residents had to be evacuated, said Mr Mohaideen.
“Nobody came to brief us on what was going on. There were a lot of helpers and the police officers were very nice. But no information was given,” he added. “Everybody thought that that it would be (over soon).”
The suspect was arrested at 10am on Friday, said the CNB, 13 hours after the standoff began. Residents said they did not know the suspect well. Madam Sharon Loh, 55, who lived on the ninth floor, said: “I have never talked to (the suspect) before, (though) I did take the same lift as him when I was coming home one day.”
According to the joint statement from the authorities, a small amount of ‘Ice’ and heroin were recovered from the flat. Preliminary screening showed that the suspect tested positive for consumption of controlled drugs.
The CNB said its officers arrived at the suspects’s flat on Thursday night after arresting two other suspected drug offenders earlier in the day during an operation against a suspected drug trafficking syndicate.
The two other suspects arrested were a 39-year-old Singaporean woman and a 62-year-old Singaporean man. The duo had met at the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 on Thursday. After their arrest, about 48g of heroin was recovered from the 39-year-old and about 160g of heroin was recovered from the 62-year-old.
A search of the 39-year-old’s hideout at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 uncovered about 480g of heroin and 25g of ‘Ice’. Officers also raided the hideout of the 62-year-old, seizing about 40g of heroin. Investigations then led CNB officers to the hideout of the 48-year-old man at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, sparking the dramatic stand-off.
About 740g of heroin and 30g of ‘Ice’ were seized in total. The drugs are estimated to be worth S$57,000.
Investigations into the drug activities of all arrested persons are ongoing, said the joint statement. The Misuse of Drugs Act allows for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine (or pure heroin) trafficked exceeds 15g.
