NCB Reports Rise In Rug Abuse Cases
By Lyna Mohamad

Bandar Seri Begawan - More than $50,000 in cash was seized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in its raids last year (as of October 2006), while the total amount of controlled drugs seized were 308 grammes of Methylamphetamine or "Syabu", 1,228g of Marijuana and 31 pieces of Erimin-5 pills, a controlled drug that is new in Brunei but that is regarded as the most highly abused drug in Singapore.

This was stated by Assistant Director (Research Division) of NCB, Hjh Jainiah Sirin at a press conference held at the bureau's headquarters in Jalan Tungku, Gadong, yesterday.

The amount of cash confiscated came in local and foreign currencies, she added.

Also present at the press conference were Assistant Director (Enforcement and Intelligence Division) Hj Jasmin Hj Jamudin, Assistant Director (Preventive Drug Education Division) Tiga Anam and several other senior officers and officers of the bureau.

Hjh Jainiah hoped that the press conference would relay the message to the community on the various efforts of the bureau in implementing its functions and roles in line with its vision.

The briefing, she added, is focussed on the bureau's mission, which is to increase the nation's security and to promote awareness to the public through the eradication ofthe misuse and trafficking of controlled drugs and through the enforcement of law, drug preventive education and follow-up services.

NCB through its Drug Preventive Education division has doubled its efforts in conducting activities to provide knowledge and to promote awareness on and understanding of the anti-drug campaign to all levels of the community in the country.

Such efforts include holding talks, exhibitions and roadshows at schools, government agencies, private companies as well as in mukims and villages. Other activities include youth camps and various kinds of promotion (through true-story promo) that highlight the ill-effects as well as the penalties of drug abuse.

Media representatives at yesterday's press conference were briefed on the bureau's achievements and were given a presentation of last year's statistics. The presentation showed that the total numbers of arrests made rose to 451 in 2006 from 420 the previous year. The arrests included relapse cases.

The statistics also showed that the number of males arrested had risen to 363 from 346 in 2005, while 88 females were arrested, compared to 74 the previous year.

Locals made up the majority of the arrests with 384, while 31 were permanent residents and another 31 were foreign nationals (an increase from 17 in 2005). The remaining five are stateless.

Despite showing a decrease, the number of jobless arrested still made up the highest number of arrests (300), followed by 53 private sector employees, 45 self-employed individuals and 39 government servants. The number of arrests involving students also saw an increase to 14 compared to the four arrests made in 2005.

The number of offenders aged between 21-25 years saw an increase of 13 from 2005, while those aged 31years-and-above numbered 192 (171 in 2005), and 55 offenders aged 16-20 years were arrested (42 in 2005). The number of offenders aged 26-30 years however saw a decrease of 22 from 120 in 2005.

Meanwhile statistics on the number of cases prosecuted and penalised showed two people - a local and a foreigner - sentenced to the mandatory death and waiting for the date of execution, while the remaining 230 cases have been convicted and sentenced according to their respective drug offences.

The cases prosecuted include 196 males and 36 females convicted under Section 3A of the Misuse of Drug Activities, 57 under Section 6(a), 265 under Section 6(b) and 60 under Section 7. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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