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Singapore

Singapore is an island nation of 3 million people on the southern tip of Southeast Asia on the strait between Malaysia and Sumatra. During its time as a British colony in the 19th and 20th centuries, Singapore developed into a major shipping port serving Asia, India, China, and Europe. It was also a major exporter of rubber, and since independence in 1965 it has become a highly industrialized modern state. Singapore takes pride in its drug laws, including the mandatory death penalty for possession of half an ounce of heroin. Singapore does not produce precursor chemicals or narcotics. It is a regional financial and transportation hub, making it attractive to drug traffickers and money launderers, and the sheer volume of trade at the port makes it likely that drugs and chemicals pass through. Singapore does not inspect containers in transit. Singapore is signatory to the 1988 United Nations (UN) Convention Against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is not a serious problem in Singapore, and it is estimated that only 0.1 percent of the population are drug users. In 2002 Singapore began using Subutex to wean addicts off of heroin. By 2006 when Subutex was redefined as an illegal narcotic, 347 people, 30 percent of Singapore's arrested drug abusers, were abusing Subutex. In 2007 Singapore arrested 2,166 persons for drug offenses, up from 1,218 in 2006. However, the increase in drug arrests is partially explained by the 2006 modification of the Misuse of Drugs Act that added buprenorphine hydrochloride, the basis for the opiate substitute Subutex, to the list of controlled substances.

While nearly two thirds of those arrested were arrested for possessing synthetic drugs, 31 percent of arrestees faced charges related to heroin possession or distribution. In 2007 drug seizures included 17.2 kilograms of heroin, 30.3 kilograms of cannabis, 1.48 kilograms of methamphetamine, 4.6 kilograms of ketamine, 7,029 MDMA tablets, 518 methamphetamine tablets, 24,881 nimetazepam tablets, and 3,435 buprenorphine tablets. In 2007, 31 enforcement operations destroyed 27 drug-trafficking syndicates, usually after infiltration by undercover officers.

Drug Laws

Singapore operates under the Misuse of Drugs Act, which defines three classes of drugs (Classes A, B, or C). A drug's class is determined by the minister. Penalties for drug offenses are harsh, including long prison terms, caning, and death. Possession of certain amounts of a drug is de facto presumption of trafficking; for instance, possessing 30 grams of cannabis automatically results in a charge of drug trafficking.

Guilt by association is a rule in Singapore: drug possession is presumed if a person has the key to the premises where drugs are, and anyone in or escaping a premise used for smoking or administering illegal drugs is presumed to have been smoking or administering the drug. The Misuse of Drugs Act also allows searches of personal property without a warrant if an officer has reasonable suspicion of drug possession, and police officers can require urinalysis of suspected offenders.

Death Penalty

Singapore law allows for the use of the death penalty for the offense of possessing half an ounce of heroin. This is one of the harshest punishments in the world and in stark contrast to countries such as the Netherlands where the same offense is considered a misdemeanor. In addition to receiving the death penalty for possessing a half ounce of heroin, possessing an ounce of morphine or possessing 18 ounces of cannabis are sufficient offenses to evoke the death penalty.

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