More needs to be done to educate young on grave consequences of criminal activities

Recent arrest reports indicate a worrying trend of young people immersing themselves in serious criminal activities in Singapore and overseas.

- Melvinderpal Singh Deputy News Editor

They include the 27 Singaporeans placed on the wanted list for their alleged roles in a major scam syndicate operating in Cambodia. The suspects are largely in their 20s and 30s.

The syndicate was led by Ng Wei Liang, 32. He evaded arrest on Sept 9 when the Cambodian police closed in on the syndicate’s operations in Phnom Penh.

Of the 12 alleged associates arrested and charged in court under the Organised Crime Act, nine are Singaporeans aged between 25 and 39.

According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the syndicate has been linked to 438 scam cases involving losses of at least $41 million.

Recent reports seem to suggest more young people are getting involved in major crimes, including smuggling.

After SPF dismantled a vape syndicate on Oct 16 that was allegedly involved in importing and distributing vapes from Malaysia into Singapore, they charged 14 members under the Organised Crime Act. The Singaporean suspects are aged between 27 and 37.

Some young individuals have taken their criminal enterprise overseas.

Ivan Tan Zhi Xuan, a 31-year-old Nanyang Technological University dropout, was arrested in June in Kuala Lumpur when police in Malaysia, working with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, busted a smuggling syndicate that was attempting to push cocaine-laced vaporisers in South Korea.