SINGAPORE - Singapore reported that the youth drug problem remained a pressing concern for the nation in 2025, with the youngest person arrested for drug offences being just 12 years old, said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).
Its director, Sebastian Tan noted that half of the new drug abusers arrested were below 30 years old, and methamphetamine remained to be the most commonly abused drug last year, followed by heroin and cannabis.
"Six in 10 new cannabis abusers arrested were below 30 years old.
"The proportion of female abusers arrested increased to 19 per cent in 2025, up from 15 per cent of the total arrests in 2024, and one in four new abusers arrested was female," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, Tan emphasised that the republic's illicit drug situation remained stable in 2025, as CNB dismantled 25 drug syndicates.
These included those misusing social media to expand the reach of their illicit drug trafficking activities and those operating in foreign countries attempting to traffic drugs into Singapore.
"These operations led to substantial drug seizures with a street value of more than S$21 million," he added. - BERNAMA