Singaporean fugitive arrested in Thailand for alleged drug trafficking

A 50-year-old Singaporean man under suspicion for drug trafficking was on the run before he was nabbed in Thailand on July 5 and handed over to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on July 9.

The CNB, in a statement late on July 9, said the man was out of the country since July 27, 2023, and the CNB had contacted its foreign counterparts for information on his whereabouts.

An arrest warrant was then issued for him for his suspected involvement in supplying drugs to associates for trafficking and sale in Singapore.

The man's involvement in illegal activities was uncovered during the course of CNB's investigation into another drug trafficking case in July 2024.

The accused person in that case, a Singaporean who was 64 at the time of arrest, is facing a drug trafficking charge involving about 4,990g of cannabis mixture.

Also, more than $1,000 was seized from him for suspected money laundering offences.

The 50-year-old fugitive is expected to be charged on July 10 for drug trafficking offences.

The man is also under probe for suspected money laundering offences, and with help from the police Anti-Scam Command Centre and financial institutions, accounts with funds totalling more than $242,000 have been frozen.

The accounts are believed to be linked to the 50-year-old man.

Earlier on July 8, the Thai authorities in a Facebook post said the man was arrested during a raid at a resort in Bangkok, together with an Indonesian couple who are believed to be his accomplices.

The post added that in May, a warrant was issued by CNB for his arrest, for his suspected involvement in drug trafficking activities from Thailand into Singapore.

It also said the man was active in the Thai city of Pattaya.