The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) have jointly announced that four Singaporeans were arrested for suspected drug activities. What’s interesting is that a drone was used to pick up drugs across the strait from Johor Bahru to Singapore.
According to the official statement, the Singapore Police had detected unusual unmanned aircraft activity over at Kranji Reservoir Park on the 17th of June at around 5.45pm. Several police offers from Woodlands Police Division had spotted a drone with a bag attached to it hovering around the area. Eventually, they arrested two men who were suspected to be the operators of the drone and they have also confiscated the drone along with a black bag.
Turns out the bag contained substances suspected to be controlled drugs and it is said to contain about 278g of ‘Ice’. When they search a vehicle belonging to one of the suspects, they have discovered more controlled drugs which include 35g of ‘Ice’, 8g of heroin and 195 ‘Ecstasy’ tablets.
When they checked one of the suspects’ phone, they managed to retrieve flight data which logs the drone’s flight from Kranji to Johor Bahru and then back again to Kranji on the same day.
As shown above, the drone appears to be the latest DJI Mavic Air 2 which was launched a few months ago. The exterior design of the drone is identical and it also has the new chunky controller that doesn’t come with a screen. The Mavic Air 2 weighs 570g and it is officially priced from RM3,299.
According to Google Maps, the distance between Kranji Reservoir Park to the closest point at Johor Bahru is about 2km. The new Mavic Air 2 uses a 3,500mAh battery that is rated to last up to 34 minutes of flight time. According to the official spec-sheet, it has a maximum flight distance of 18.5km and that’s with very optimal conditions. What’s impressive is that the Mavic Air 2 could still manage to fly across the border carrying an extra bag that’s almost half of its body weight.
However, the drone smuggling isn’t the end of the story. The Singaporean authorities have picked up another two suspects the following day which are linked to the earlier arrest. When they search the suspect’s premises, they have found 76g of ‘Ice’, a small amount of heroin, two Erimin-5 tablets and SGD 13,230 in cash. In total, they have seized a total of 389g of ‘Ice’ which is said to be sufficient to feed the addiction of 220 abusers.
