SINGAPORE: A Malaysian woman was arrested by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at the Woodlands checkpoint here for driving under the influence of drugs after she failed to comply to instructions from the authorities.
In a statement today, ICA said the incident occurred on April 3 at 8.35pm when the woman, who was driving a Malaysia-registered car, was stopped by a Traffic Police Auxiliary Officer who was monitoring traffic towards the Woodlands checkpoint.
“The 28-year-old woman did not comply with the officer’s instruction and made an unauthorised right turn from the Woodlands Centre Road towards the checkpoint during restricted hours. The woman was directed to the traffic control post at Woodlands Crossing for her summons to be processed.
“As she was driving towards the control post, she accelerated dangerously up the ramp towards the checkpoint, almost knocking into an ICA officer,” the agency said.
It said that the woman refused to get out of the car and had locked herself in when it came to a stop at the checkpoint.
“Officers at the scene then noticed that she seemed to be experiencing breathing difficulty after ingesting a white tablet but despite attempts to persuade her to unlock the car door, she refused to comply.
“The officers had to break the front passenger window of the car to reach her and an ambulance was activated but after a check, it was decided that she was not required to be taken to the hospital. She was then arrested for failure to comply with the instruction of authorised officers,” ICA said.
It said that further checks on the woman and her car by the Police K-9 unit uncovered one “Erimin-5” wrapper at the center console of the car while another “Erimin-5” tablet was found inside her handbag.
“Suspecting that the woman was driving under the influence of drugs, officers conducted swabs on her hands and belongings, which yielded positive results for controlled drugs. The woman was also in possession of a vape which was believed to contain a controlled drug,” ICA said in the statement.
The agency said the woman and the car were handed over to the Police and the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.