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Online Citizen
10-07-2025
- Online Citizen
Singaporean fugitive charged with abetting drug trafficking after Bangkok arrest
A Singaporean man wanted by local authorities has been charged with abetting drug trafficking, following his arrest in Thailand. Tan Leng Chong, 50, appeared in a Singapore district court on 10 July 2025. He had been handed over to Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) by Thai authorities the day before. Tan was apprehended on 5 July 2025 during a raid by Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) at a hotel in Bangkok. The operation came after an extensive investigation and cross-border cooperation. According to the charge sheet, Tan is accused of conspiring with N M Mahendran to traffic cannabis mixture outside Singapore sometime before July 2024. Cannabis is classified as a Class A Controlled Drug under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act. Mahendran allegedly possessed five blocks of vegetable matter containing no less than 4,990.6g of cannabis mixture for trafficking. The incident reportedly took place around 29 July 2024 at Equatorial Apartments, located at 48 Meyer Road. Tan, wearing a white polo tee, appeared in court via video-link for a brief hearing. He did not speak much during the proceedings. The prosecution requested that he remain in remand, with permission for officers to take him out for further investigations. 'Custody is required to trace the source of drugs in the capital charge,' the prosecutor told the court. Tan acknowledged the proceedings and confirmed that he understood the charges. He is scheduled to return to court on 17 July 2025. If found guilty of abetting drug trafficking, Tan could face the death penalty under Singapore law. In a statement issued on Wednesday, CNB said it discovered Tan's suspected role while probing a related drug trafficking case in July 2024. That investigation involved another Singaporean, aged 64, who was charged with trafficking about 4.99kg of cannabis mixture. During its probe, CNB found that Tan had left Singapore in July 2023. Authorities subsequently reached out to international counterparts, leading to an arrest warrant and his eventual apprehension in Thailand. CNB revealed it has also begun investigating Tan for alleged money laundering offences. Accounts believed to be linked to Tan have been frozen, holding more than S$242,000. Thailand's ONCB stated via Facebook on Tuesday that Tan was arrested for allegedly trafficking drugs from Thailand into Singapore. According to Phanurat Lakboon, Secretary-General of the ONCB, Tan was found hiding in Pattaya, Chonburi province, as reported by Bangkok Post. Thai government news outlet NBT Connext reported that Tan had used Thailand both as a hiding place and an operational base for drug trafficking. ONCB said Tan was seen in Bangkok meeting two Indonesian nationals at a hotel. These individuals were believed to be involved in the drug smuggling operations. Thai police raided the hotel room and arrested all three men. Authorities seized illegal substances including ecstasy, ketamine, and Erimin-5, a prescription-only depressant derivative from the benzodiazepine group. Tan remains in remand as investigations continue. He will appear in court again on 17 July 2025.
Online Citizen
10-07-2025
- Online Citizen
Singaporean fugitive arrested in Thailand for drug trafficking
THAILAND: A 50-year-old Singaporean fugitive, wanted for drug trafficking offences, has been arrested in Bangkok after months on the run. Thai authorities apprehended Tan Leng Chong during a hotel raid, which also saw the arrest of his two alleged accomplices — an Indonesian couple — and the seizure of illegal drugs. Tan was captured last Saturday during a joint operation involving Thai police, immigration officers, and officials from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). In a Facebook statement on Tuesday (8 July), the ONCB confirmed Tan's arrest and stated that he was wanted under a warrant issued by Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in May for allegedly trafficking drugs from Thailand into the city-state. ONCB Secretary-General Phanurat Lakboon revealed that Tan had initially been hiding in Pattaya, Chonburi province, as reported by Thai news outlet Bangkok Post. According to a report by NBT Connext — the Thai government's public relations outlet — Tan had used Thailand not only as a hideout but also as a base for his cross-border drug trafficking activities. Investigators learnt that Tan had travelled to Bangkok, where he was seen meeting two Indonesians at a hotel. During the raid, the Indonesian man and woman, believed to be involved in the same drug smuggling network, were also arrested. Thai authorities seized quantities of ecstasy, ketamine, and Erimin-5 — a depressant medication requiring prescription. While the Indonesian suspects' names were not disclosed, NBT Connext reported that they are a married couple. Following the arrests, Thai officers searched two properties in Pattaya linked to Tan, but no further drugs or illegal items were found. Prin Mekhanan, Director of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau under the ONCB, said that investigations suggested Tan had previously ordered drugs from central Thailand and smuggled them abroad by concealing them in carry-on luggage. A Maserati bearing a fake licence plate was also seized during the operation. The ONCB noted that Singapore's CNB had earlier requested assistance from the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau and ONCB in locating Singaporean nationals wanted for drug offences believed to be hiding in Thailand. The agencies have been exchanging intelligence as part of their cooperation. Tan is expected to be extradited to Singapore, where he faces prosecution. Under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, drug trafficking carries the mandatory death penalty.
CNA
10-07-2025
- CNA
Fugitive nabbed in Thailand given capital drug trafficking charge in Singapore
SINGAPORE: A wanted man who was nabbed in a Bangkok hotel during a raid by Thai police was charged in a district court in Singapore on Thursday (Jul 10). Tan Leng Chong, 50, was arrested in a raid by Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) on Jul 5. He was handed over to Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Wednesday. Tan is accused of abetting drug trafficking by conspiring with a N M Mahendran to traffic in cannabis mixture sometime before July 2024, outside Singapore. Cannabis is a Class A Controlled Drug. According to the charge, Mahendran had five blocks of vegetable matter containing at least than 4,990.6g of cannabis mixture for the purpose of trafficking at about Jul 29, 2024 at Equatorial Apartments, a condominium at 48 Meyer Road. Tan was remanded. He appeared in court via video-link in a white polo tee and did not say much in his brief appearance. The prosecution asked for him to be remanded, with permission to take him out for investigations. "Custody is required to trace the source of drugs in the capital charge," said the prosecutor. Tan said he understood. He is set to return to court on Jul 17. If convicted of abetment of drug trafficking, Tan can be sentenced to death. CNB said in a statement on Wednesday that it discovered Tan's alleged involvement during their investigation into a drug trafficking case in July 2024. That case involved another man, a 64-year-old Singaporean, who faces a charge for trafficking about 4.99kg of cannabis mixture. While investigating, CNB found that Tan had been out of Singapore since July 2023. It reached out to foreign counterparts for information on his whereabouts, and an arrest warrant was issued against him for his suspected involvement in supplying drugs to associates in Singapore for subsequent trafficking and sale in Singapore. CNB said it had also commenced money laundering investigations against Tan. Accounts believed to be linked to Tan and containing an amount of more than S$242,000 (US$189,223) have been frozen. Thailand's ONCB said in a Facebook statement on Tuesday that it had arrested Tan for allegedly trafficking drugs from Thailand to Singapore. Secretary-General of the ONCB, Phanurat Lakboon, said that Tan was found hiding in Pattaya, Chonburi province, as reported by Thai news outlet Bangkok Post. He had used Thailand as a hiding spot and a base for his alleged drug trafficking operations, according to a news report by NBT Connext of the Thai government's public relations department. According to ONCB, Tan had travelled to Bangkok and was seen meeting two Indonesians at a hotel, who were believed to be involved in the drug smuggling operations. The Indonesian pair, along with Tan, were also arrested in the hotel room, where illegal drugs such as ecstasy, ketamine, and Erimin-5, a prescription-only derivative of the depressant benzodiazepine, were seized.
AsiaOne
10-07-2025
- AsiaOne
Singaporean fugitive nabbed in Thailand for alleged drug trafficking, turned over to CNB, Singapore News
A 50-year-old Singaporean man who was on the run for suspected drug trafficking was nabbed by Thai authorities on Saturday (July 5) and subsequently handed over to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on July 9. In a statement released the same night, CNB said that the man had been out of Singapore since July 27, 2023, and that it had reached out to its foreign counterparts for information on his whereabouts. An arrest warrant was issued for the man for his suspected involvement in supplying drugs to associates for their subsequent trafficking and sale in Singapore. His involvement was uncovered during CNB's investigation into a drug trafficking case in July 2024. The accused in that case was a 64-year-old Singaporean at the time of arrest, and he faced a charge for trafficking about 4,990g of cannabis mixture. Monies amounting to more than $1,000 was also seized from him by CNB for suspected money laundering offences. The 50-year-old man will be charged in court on July 10 for drug trafficking offences related to the case, said CNB. It has also commenced money laundering investigations against him. CNB added that with help from the Anti-Scam Centre of the Singapore Police Force and financial institutions, it was able to freeze accounts amounting to more than $242,000 which were believed to be linked to the man. Suspect discovered in Pattaya, followed to Bangkok According to the Bangkok Post, Thai authorities had found the suspect hiding in Pattaya after acting on information from the CNB. Pol Maj Gen Panurat Lakbun, secretary-general of the Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), told media that the man was then followed to Bangkok. On July 8, ONCB posted on its Facebook page stating that the suspect was nabbed at a resort in Bangkok along with two Indonesians, believed to be his accomplices. They added that CNB had issued a warrant for his arrest in May 2025. [[nid:719251]]
CNA
09-07-2025
- CNA
Fugitive Singaporean nabbed in Bangkok for alleged drug trafficking
BANGKOK: A Singaporean said to be wanted for alleged drug trafficking in the city-state has been arrested at a Bangkok hotel during a raid by Thai police, immigration officers and officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). In a statement on Facebook, the ONCB announced on Tuesday (Jul 8) that it successfully arrested 50-year-old Tan Leng Chong last Saturday. It added that Tan was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in Singapore in May for allegedly trafficking drugs from Thailand to the city-state. Secretary-General of the ONCB, Phanurat Lakboon, said that Tan was found hiding in Pattaya, Chonburi province, as reported by Thai news outlet Bangkok Post. He had used Thailand as a hiding spot as well as a base for his drug trafficking operations, according to a news report by NBT Connext of the Thai government's public relations department. ONCB said that last Saturday, investigators learned that Tan had travelled to Bangkok and he was seen meeting two Indonesians at a hotel. An Indonesian man and woman believed to have been involved in the drug smuggling operations were also arrested in the hotel room, where illegal drugs such as ecstasy, ketamine, and Erimin-5, a prescription-only derivative of the depressant benzodiazepine, were seized. Their identities were not revealed by the Thai authorities, though according to the NBT Connext report, they were a married couple. ONCB said that following the arrests, Thai authorities searched two properties in Pattaya linked to Tan. However the subsequent raids did not find any more drugs or illegal items. According to the NBT Connext report, Prin Mekhanan, the Director of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB), ONCB, added that the investigation found that the suspect is allegedly has a history of ordering drugs from central Thailand before smuggling them out of the country by hiding them in a carry-on bag on the plane. A Maserati car with a fake licence plate was also seized around the time of the arrests. The statement from the ONCB said that Singapore's CNB has previously requested cooperation from the Thai NSB, and ONCB to help investigate and track down Singaporeans with arrest warrants for drug cases who have fled to live in Thailand. These wanted individuals are to be brought back to Singapore for prosecution upon their arrest. The statement also said that the ONCB has coordinated with the CNB to exchange information in the investigation and tracking of individuals with arrest warrants. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, drug trafficking carries the death penalty in Singapore.
