Chapter 2 continued - Cold Rain Drops
December 2012:
Daylight Savings Time in the United States made me exactly 13
hours behind Singapore. Finding time to communicate with family and
friends back home was a challenge. That night in my apartment, I
received an Email from Raymond Lee.
From: Raymond Lee ([email protected])
To: [email protected]
Subject: Long Term Leave
“Dear L., How are you? To update you, I took over from Zamri as
TL as of June 2012. We have a few new members in our NPC. Just
reminding you that you have to be back before Aug 2013 or you might
have to go for retraining again. I look forward to working with
you.
Regards,
INSP(V) Raymond"
I was already a Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) in SPF. I
had been in it since I finished my National Servervice in 2008. It
was 9 months of training in everything and we were paid a meagre
$3.60 an hour just for allowance. The Police Command wanted to keep
it that way to preserve the nobility of the volunteer police
officer. We were thrown right into the frontlines to complement the
Regulars in the execution of their duties. We did everything from
plainclothes to patrol duties under close supervision. I was posted
to Tanglin Police Division. Being a VSC was the best deal ever. We
get to choose our duty dates and most people come in when they are
free. You want to know what's even better? Our ranks and power are
the same as the Regulars. SPF standardized the ranks a long time
ago and endowed us with equal powers. In 2011 after I got my
university acceptance letter, I decided to try my luck and just
apply for leave. I didn't want to quit. By then, I was already
familiar with police work and criminal activity.
“Fuck, I have to go back!” Retraining was a really nice way of
saying, if I don't come back, I'll be kicked out.
That Email was a problem. I had to do my undergraduate major in
the US, and I was far from completing it. How can I possibly go
back right now when I’m barely 1 year into my studies? Earlier that
month, I got a reply from Harvard and Yale’s financial office,
stating I could apply for financial aid but the outcome is
discretionary if I got into their Medicine School. What the fuck
was that supposed to mean? My prospects were limited with a
Chemistry undergraduate degree. Sure, I could find a job, but that
wasn’t what I wanted to do in life. I wanted Medicine, and if any
country were to offer me an opportunity to go to Medical School, it
would be the US. My own country, Singapore, already denied me any
dream of wanting to go to Medical School the moment I entered JC. I
wasn’t the A*Star student the country wanted. In the US, people get
into Medicine even with just a 3.3-GPA. All you need is a shit load
of money, and a kick-ass Resume that really sets you apart from the
competition.
I wanted status, I wanted to return to my country with glory,
and my head held high; to show everyone who looked down on me
before what I have achieved in life. Being rich isn’t my goal, but
if everyone in my country sees a doctor as the very epitome of
individual achievement, I will get it. This dream, albeit distant
and unrealistic, gave me hope; that if I worked hard, I will get it
– the very essence of The American Dream.
There were a couple of problems: My dad’s business into food
catering was failing. His regular customer switched to a different
caterer, and he had trouble finding new ones. His business model
was looking for factories and industries in far off areas,
providing food catering to the workers. In the good old days, he
used to boast about supporting me until I finished Professional
School, either a PhD, or Medicine. Now, I was about to get kicked
out of the Singapore Police Force. My hope in getting a kick ass
resume was starting to fall apart. Initially, the grand plan was to
get recognized in the Force, rise so far in rank and appointment so
that when I apply to Professional school, they would see me as a
unique and high flying candidate. Fuck my life..
Chapter 3 - Hidden Treasure
December 2012
Taurine, Google, and Red Bull were my best friends for the past
few days. Whatever problem the world lay before me, had to be cast
aside. My world froze for this period. I haven't replied INSP(V)
Raymond Lee for 3 days, my friend's Frat house had been converted
from a party place into a studying utopia, and all I did was study.
Whatever decision that needed to be made had to be done soon. That
Friday night, I was staring at my Silk Road browser.
"Damn," I thought to myself. So far I've been buying my Blots of
LSD from BlueViolet99 for at least $15 to $20 a Blot. My usual
order was 5 hits which usually came disguised inside a little
voucher book. The vouchers were real, but I wasn't interested in
buying furniture. His reviews were astronomical, coming from LSD
enthusiasts who gave him nothing but praise for quality and speed.
250ug LSD was my favorite although I started out with 150ug. It was
so convenient and stealth. Believe it or not, 1 drop of LSD on a
Blotting Paper is all it took, and the effects lasted for hours. It
was odorless and colorless. A random thought came in, "Why don't I
just buy in bulk." I shrugged it off, but sent a Private Message to
BlueViolet99 anyway.
"Love your wares, dude. High quality. Interested in bulk buying,
what's the catch?" Away the Private Message went.
Finals were finally over, and every one was happy. Even the
hippie couple who obviously didn't study was happy. The following
Friday night, there was another party, I was invited, but what's
new. I took a few days after the Finals, just relaxing at home, and
jogging around Central Park to think things through. One thing was
certain; I had to go back to Singapore. I needed an awesome Resume,
and I needed money for Professional school.
"Why don't I just bring LSD back and sell it to Art students?"
It echoed through my head, followed by a reminder of Singapore's
harsh drug laws. Wait a second. If it's odorless, colorless,
formless, then theoretically speaking, I could bring in a bottle
and make at least a 100 hits of LSD on Blotting Paper or anything
that can absorb a drop. The street drug price in Singapore was
typically $30 SGD for 0.1grams. That's how ridiculous street drug
prices are in Singapore because of the harsh penalties. That is a
lot of money. Ideally, if I was able to sell 100 hits of LSD at $40
a hit, I could be making $4000. Awesome idea, but I know it's going
to take a lot more to stay alive and elusive in Singapore. Ask me,
I should know; I was, no, I AM a Police
Officer. Nobody knows the law and operations better than me. I have
seen cases go unsolved, I have seen Investigation Officers (IOs)
scratching their heads, and I have seen how the underworld worked.
Suddenly the sky looked clearer than before; I looked up, squinted
at the sun, and smirked.
That Thursday before the party, Google became my best friend
once more. I went through all the news the internet contained
regarding to Singapore's drug bust, and how people get caught,
internationally, and domestically. From all the readings, I came up
with the following observations of how people get caught:
1) They were idiots
2) They carried pills and powders around with
them, strapped to their body, or luggage.
3) They tried to beat the system which was
created to sniff people like them out, especially at the
Airport.
4) There was first hand and unintentional
second hand contact with undercover agents.
5) There was a tip off. I speculate, a dealer
got caught, and in exchange for clemency, he tipped off the
DEA/Police.
It made me so excited I nearly shit in my pants. It was a
challenge to me; Challenge Accepted. Maybe that's why I'm a
scientist in training. I observe, hypothesize, and work on
challenges. If there's a problem, I will find a solution to it.
Each time I read a drug bust article, I took deep breaths and told
myself, "Use your head, not your fear".
"Trust no one; betray every one." Those were the rules to
staying alive and elusive. In that same day, after days of waiting,
I got a reply from BlueViolet99. The timing couldn't have been more
perfect. It read: "Depending on order, I will instruct."
The game was on. Even though BlueViolet99 wasn't specific, I
knew he was interested in bulk orders. After all, LSD sellers on
Silk Road are typically underground chemists with the right
equipment to synthesize LSD. You needed an intimate knowledge of
chemistry to make LSD, much less down to specific micrograms. It
wasn't like Cocaine, where farmers in Colombia could do the job
with microwave ovens and gasoline. I did enough research into
underground LSD manufacturing to know these underground chemists
prefer to run their operations on their own, meaning there was no
Dealer involved. No dealer involved, less risk. With Silk Road,
they were literally on a roll.
I did the math on paper. To make my time worthwhile in bringing
back to Singapore, I needed at least 500 drops. A single 5ml
dropping bottle could dispense 100 drops, which translated to 100
hits. Supposing I sold it at $40 SGD a hit, I could be making close
to $20,000 SGD for 500 hits. No way was I going to bring Blotting
Paper back; carrying 500 pieces of Blotting Paper is clearly asking
for trouble from any security department. If I was going to bring
it back, It was going to be in eye drop bottles, preferably
medicinal eye drop bottles with authentic labeling and branding to
be more convincing to security agents and the police if ever check
me; thats IF they ever check me.
BlueViolet99 typically sells a hit for $15 to $20 USD. I'm sure
bulk orders would be a lot cheaper.
"Thanks for replying, I really appreciate it. I've been buying
from you for some time now. Am looking to buy at least 500 hits -
No tabs, no blots. Preferably fluid. 250ug. I propose $2500. Please
quote your price and instruct."
I was just trying my luck. My proposition was $5 USD a hit. One
thing I learnt from my mom about haggling, is first cutting the
price down to its lowest and slowly increasing it until the seller
is comfortable. Thank my mom, thank Queensway Shopping Centre.