SEVERAL suspected drug traffickers found out last weekend that there were few places to hide in Singapore.

Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers started a string of arrests by descending on a Bencoolen hotel, where they found a couple - an unemployed 40-year-old man and his 30-year-old girlfriend, a freelance make-up artist - hiding in a hotel room.

Their 1kg stash of heroin was found in the hotel room's safe.

The officers also seized 3g of Ice and four Ecstasy and 100 Erimin-5 tablets from the room, as well as improvised utensils for drug consumption.

The couple were arrested.

In another room at the same hotel, a 35-year-old man was found with heroin, Ice, cannabis, Erimin-5 tablets and an Ecstasy tablet.

The narcotics officers tracked down another unemployed man, 31, who had rented the room and arrested him near the Hougang Swimming Complex.

He was found with Ice, heroin and about $1,700 in cash, an amount he is suspected to have made from selling drugs.

The drug syndicate's leader, an unemployed 38-year-old suspected of distributing heroin and psychotropic drugs in the eastern part of Singapore, was also caught.

CNB officers found 1,621 Ecstasy tablets, 48.5g of heroin, 65.45g of Ice, 469 Erimin-5 tablets and about $43,000 in cash in his Simei flat.

All the suspects' urine tested positive for drugs.

If convicted, the couple in the hotel room and the syndicate leader will face the death penalty.

Another couple who had dealings with the syndicate leader were also caught and found with a packet of heroin.

In total, the CNB seized about $277,000 worth of drugs, as well as suspected drug proceeds of $44,800.

joyfang@sph.com.sg

For more my paper stories click here.