CLOSE to 80 per cent more drug addicts were arrested last year, no thanks largely to heroin and subutex abusers.

Out of the 2,166 drug abusers who were picked up in 2007, two thirds were hooked on heroin and subutex -mostly repeated abusers who are above 30.

But Singapore's drug enforcement agency, the Central Narcotics Bureau, said it is only to be expected as 2007 was the first full year that subutex users were caught, after the drug was outlawed in August 2006.

The majority of Subutex abusers are Malays - about 1000.

One area of concern is the 670 heroin abusers caught, swelling six times more from the 116 arrested the year before.

CNB's deputy director Vijakumar Sethuraj attributed the increase to the 'rational choice' addicts made after Subutex was re-classified as a controlled drug, hence making it more expensive than heroin.

CNB said that the price of an 8mg Subutex tablet now costs about $120, as compared to $40, before the clampdown two years ago.

The average street price of heroin, on the other hand, goes to up $50 per straw.

Traffkers, synthetic drug abusers also up

More drug traffickers were also arrested last year.

The number of illicit traders, mostly from neighbouring Johor and Batam swelled to 769, up by about 30 per cent.

But CNB cautioned that the supply is not driven by demand in Singapore, as drug pushers just want to 'flood the market'.

There were also slightly more users of the synthetic drug users last year.

The number of people using synthetic drugs such as Erimin-5, ketamine, Ecstasy and Ice increased by about 3 per cent, making up about 30 per cent of all drug abusers.