SINGAPORE — When Superintendent (Supt) Eric Tan Seow Peng from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) cracked a case that involved an international drug syndicate in Bangkok last year, it was a matter of huge significance to him and the Republic.

Due to Supt Tan’s leadership, the case was busted in four days and led to the arrest of four Bangkok-based international drug syndicate members.

Achieving this, however, was no easy feat for the 51-year-old.

As CNB’s senior assistant director (liaison), Supt Tan said he had to be extremely meticulous throughout the course of his work, which required him to collate huge amounts of data as well as coordinate responses from law enforcement agencies in Thailand and Malaysia.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, presented the CNB officer with the Minister’s Operation Excellence Award for his excellent performance and determination.

The ceremony saw a total of 103 Minister’s Awards — two Home Team Achievement Awards and 101 Minister for Home Affairs Operational Excellence Awards — being presented to outstanding officers from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, CNB and Singapore Prison Service.

On how he felt about winning the award, Supt Tan said: “I feel very happy and proud. It’s passion that drives you. When we see the results, it makes us very happy and satisfied. When I was young, I saw how my neighbours abused drugs … and it ruined the family. That’s when I knew I wanted to fight this.”

The awards recognise officers who have excelled in their work and demonstrated efficiency in major operations.

Another award recipient was Warrant Officer 2 (WO2) Mohamed Affino Amin from the SCDF, who led his team to extricate a worker’s hand that had become stuck in a meat grinder. The ordeal lasted almost 20 minutes.

“It was very intense,” said WO2 Mohamed Affino. “We had very limited tools and we also had to act fast. The doctor said that if we took any longer, the worker might have had to amputate his whole arm.”

The SPF’s investigation officer, Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Dennis Chew, also received an award for uncovering a conspiracy scam that duped two elderly victims into losing up to S$457,550 worth of cash and jewellery. Through countless interviews with the victims and the use of CCTV footage, SSGT Chew identified two of the suspects and subsequently arrested them.