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4 Singaporeans nabbed in New Zealand drug bust

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Four Singaporeans were among 41 people detained in New Zealand on drug charges during a police operation to bust a drug ring, police said yesterday.

The four were charged with importing 700g of methamphetamine that was to be dealt in the city of Gisborne and its surrounding region, said the New Zealand police in a statement.

All the accused appeared in court over the last nine days and are facing a total of 245 charges of importing a Class-A drug, conspiracy to sell, selling and possession of methamphetamine for supply and cannabis dealing.

In the operation last week, which came after an eight-month investigation, the police searched 37 properties and seized eight of them, as well as bank accounts, vehicles, 400g of methamphetamine, firearms and cannabis.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Ford was quoted by the police as saying that children had been living in some of the properties searched.

"These children were of various ages and had been living in houses where the drug was being used and dealt," the police quoted Sgt Ford as saying.

"This is an appalling situation."

Regional Interpol op nets 7 arrests

A 12-day Interpol operation to identify wanted terror suspects and other criminals across the 10 Asean countries has led to seven arrests and almost 100 "hits".

In a statement yesterday, the international police agency said that some five million searches were conducted during the operation from March 28 to April 8.

Passports were screened at 30 land, air and sea border points against Interpol's global databases.

"Seven people who were internationally wanted were located, as well as two individuals targeted by United Nations Security Council sanctions and the subject of Interpol UN Special Notices," said the report.

Called Operation Sunbird II, it was funded by the Canadian government and coordinated from the Interpol Global Complex of Innovation in Singapore.

10 nabbed for loan-sharking acts

Police have arrested 10 people in simultaneous raids islandwide for alleged involvement in loan-sharking activities.

In one raid on Tuesday, police picked up seven men and a woman aged between 32 and 61. Items including cash amounting to about $29,000, mobile phones, automated teller machine cards, a bank book and bank transaction slips were seized, said the police yesterday.

Also on Tuesday, police said they nabbed two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, for suspected loan-shark harassment after receiving a report on April 10 that a unit at Block 538, Hougang Street 52, was locked by a bicycle lock and splashed with red paint.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the two suspects are believed to have carried out similar acts at Sembawang and Jurong East housing estates, said the police in a separate statement yesterday.

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