New Zealand student nabbed in drug bust

A young NZer has been arrested in Singapore for allegedly using cannabis. Photo / Supplied

A young New Zealander has been arrested for allegedly using cannabis in Singapore, a nation known for its harsh penalties for drug offences.

The student was one of 15 young people - mostly international students - nabbed in an 18-hour, nationwide drug bust.

Officials at Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said four of the suspects were Singapore residents, and the others were from the United States, Britain, France, India, South Africa, Indonesia and NZ.

The group were aged between 13 and 25 and were all alleged to have bought cannabis from a 37-year-old Singaporean resident, who was arrested with a young associate.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a New Zealander had been detained in Singapore and then released.

The person's gender and age could not be confirmed.

Many of the arrested youths were friends who were reported to have smoked the cannabis together.

CNB officials said they had conducted surveillance of the alleged drug dealer at his home in Ang Mo Kio, in central Singapore.

Officers said he was found with 2g of marijuana on him, and another 23g was discovered at his home.

Police officers found 32g of marijuana at the apartment of the man's associate.

Cannabis is categorised as a Class A drug in Singapore.

The 15 people caught in the bust were reportedly being investigated for possession and consumption of drugs. It was not known what penalty they will face if convicted.

Singapore media said that if the accused drug dealer was convicted of trafficking, he faced 20 years in prison and 15 strokes of the cane.

The country has some of the strictest penalties in the world for drug use and trafficking in the world. Long prison sentences, canings and the death penalty can be imposed for serious trafficking offences.

Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act automatically classes any person with 30g of cannabis as a trafficker, unless it can be proven otherwise.

A person can be arrested for being in the company of drug users, or for escaping from or owning keys to a property which contains drugs.

The CNB's director, Huang Wen Yi, said the operation illustrated the bureau's zero-tolerance approach to illegal drugs in Singapore.

"We will not tolerate anyone abusing drugs in Singapore, and worse, contaminating others.

"Those who think otherwise are mistaken, and CNB will not hesitate to take action against them."