EXCLUSIVE 
CNB busts S'pore drug ring run by gays for gays 

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Officer poses as gay man. Suspect emerges from lift and beckons to officer, who arrests him

Suspect leads officers to flat. Officers arrest two more suspects, one in bed and one in living room

One suspect leads officer to alleged supplier's flat. They pose as gay couple to get in. Officers find 136 Ecstasy pills, 8 Erimin-5 tablets

By Andre Yeo

Wearing a tight blue singlet, he sat in bed with a blanket draped over him.

He was expecting his gay lover to bring home a male stranger for a 'party'.

He was also expecting to use some drugs to spice up their intimacy.

But he was not expecting what happened next. A stranger entered the room, saying clearly 'CNB!'

The man in bed smiled, thinking it was the start of a sex game.

But when he saw a woman behind the stranger, he knew that something was wrong. It was a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) raid.

The raids were carried out in Tampines and Telok Blangah housing estates late Wednesday night and the gay drug syndicate which specialised in supplying Ecstasy pills was busted.

The pills seemed to have been used in the belief that they can enhance the sex act.

A CNB spokesman said that this was the first gay drug syndicate to be busted in Singapore.

To crack the case, undercover officers had to pose as gays because the supplier who's also a trafficker, another trafficker and customers were all gays.

The syndicate did not supply to women and heterosexuals.

Yesterday, The New Paper spoke to four undercover CNB officers who were involved in the operation that nabbed two suspected traffickers and two other suspects who are now on bail.

 
UNCOMFORTABLE ASSIGNMENT

The names of the officers have been changed to protect their identities.

For two of the officers, it was one of their more uncomfortable assignments.

Neither is gay. One has a girlfriend and the other is married.

Sergeant Tony, 31, said 'We got information that men were offering to enhance sexual pleasure with Ecstasy pills. It was difficult for us to make contact because we did not understand their lingo.

'There are certain words and phrases that gays use when they are dealing with sex and drugs. So, we had to be careful not to give ourselves away.'

The code? Words such as 'flex', which stands for the 'flexible'. It refers to the freedom the gays have in taking either a dominant or submissive role during sex. The CNB officers spent days researching the gay lifestyle here.

From previous arrests of gay suspects at nightclubs, they knew that many in the community are well-educated and can afford more expensive drugs.

They were also aware of homosexual addicts using drugs as part of their sex sessions.

Said Staff Sergeant Mark 'From our understanding, they believe that by consuming drugs while having sex, their sexual pleasure can be heightened.'

Posing as a gay drug addict, Sgt Tony headed to Block 450G at Tampines Street 42 at 11pm to meet a 28-year-old man. Two teams of CNB officers were nearby as back-up.

Waiting at the void deck near the lift landing, Sgt Tony felt a bit apprehensive. He was afraid the gay suspect might not find him attractive.

He said 'I did not know his preference. I was worried he might not find me tempting enough or like my body language.

'I did not know whether I should shake hands or not because I did not know how a gay man should behave.'

Shortly after arriving, the lift door opened and the suspect emerged from the lift.

He smiled at Sgt Tony, who smiled back.

The man signalled at him to enter the lift. The moment they went in, Sgt Tony identified himself as a CNB officer.

The other officers immediately rushed in to nab their guy.

He took them to a sixth-floor unit where they found a man in the living room watching television.

They entered the unit and arrested him as well.

He was later found to be unaware of any drug activities there and was released on bail, pending a urine analysis by the Health Sciences Authority.

Sgt Tony entered one of the bedrooms in the five-room unit and saw another man sitting up in bed, holding a blanket.

Standing behind him was Sgt Julie, 28, who has been with the CNB for seven years.

Sgt Tony again identified himself, saying 'CNB!'

What the 28-year-old systems engineer did next surprised the officers.

Said Sgt Julie 'He smiled so sweetly and giggled. He probably thought it was a joke.'

Sgt Tony added 'He was expecting a threesome with drugs and thought I was making it interesting by 'pretending' to be a CNB officer.

'But when he saw a female officer behind me, he realised it was not a joke. Then, we arrested him.'

They found six Ecstasy pills in the room and he told them his supplier, who is also gay, lives in Telok Blangah Heights.

He led a team of officers to a ninth-floor unit at Block 63 there and stood at the door with Sgt Eric at around 1am.

Sgt Eric, who is married, said 'I posed as his lover who was interested in drugs. When the man opened the door, I identified myself and rushed in.'

So did a team of officers waiting at the staircase landing.

 
CREAMS & SEX TOYS

In the 42-year-old production supervisor's four-room flat, they found bottles of beauty products, creams, body toners, moisturisers and three sex toys.

There were also several bottles of health supplements. In these, they found 136 Ecstasy pills and eight Erimin-5 tablets.

He and the systems engineer will be charged in court today with possession for the purpose of trafficking. If convicted they can be jailed for at least five years and given five strokes of the cane.

The man they arrested in the lift will be released on bail pending investigation.