35 under investigation, 16 others fined in Geylang crackdown
Thirty-five people are being investigated for various offences while 16 others have been issued with fines after the authorities conducted a series of operations in Geylang in late March.
The police said on April 12 that the crackdown was carried out between March 23 and 31, and involved officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore Customs, Land Transport Authority, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Singapore Food Agency.
The 23 men and 12 women under investigation are aged between 17 and 76, while the ones who were fined are all men aged between 18 and 55.
The operations “aimed to clamp down on crime and illegal activities in the Geylang area”, the police said, citing illegal gambling, vice activities and the sale of illegal sexual enhancement products, among others.
During one of the operations on March 23, officers from Bedok Police Division, Special Operations Command, ICA and MOM seized more than $146,560 in cash, along with $100 in Bruneian currency, as well as gambling paraphernalia, including gambling chips.
The operation targeted illegal gambling activities along Geylang Road, and resulted in seven men and nine women being rounded up for their alleged involvement.
If found guilty of gambling at an unlawful gambling place, they can be jailed for up to six months, fined $10,000, or both.
Three days later, officers from Singapore Customs patrolled the streets for duty-unpaid cigarettes.
A 72-year-old man was arrested, while 16 other men were given fines for possessing the illegal cigarettes.
Officers seized 152 duty-unpaid cigarettes during the operation.
Under the Customs Act and Goods and Services Tax Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing, or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences, and offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both.
The police, HSA, ICA and CNB also did rounds on March 26 and 28 along lanes in Geylang, aiming to stop the sale of unregistered health products and any illegal drug activities.
Four men aged between 17 and 40 are being investigated by the HSA, and unregistered health products, which included cough syrup and various “sexual enhancement” products, were seized.
The items have an estimated street value of about $6,391, and the statement said that those found guilty of importing, manufacturing, or supplying unregistered health products could be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $50,000, or both.
Investigations are ongoing.
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