‘A never-ending effort’: She chases down illicit product peddlers in Geylang

In this series, people from all walks of life offer an inside – often unfiltered – take on their livelihoods and what keeps them going in their jobs. In this instalment, hear from Tan Lee Lian on what it takes to carry out enforcement operations in Geylang, a peddling hot spot for illegal health products, as told to The Straits Times.

I am 48 and I have been working in the field enforcement and operations branch at the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), where I am an assistant director, since 2024.

I oversee a field enforcement team and am the only woman on the team.

My job is to detect the sale of illegal health products like cough syrups, sedatives, painkillers and sexual enhancement medicines, and nab the sellers.

We have increasingly had to tackle the sale of vapes and etomidate since late 2025. More recently, we also target the sale of illegal cigarettes.

When people with substance dependence cannot get their hands on their usual products, they may turn to some of these medicines, which give a “floating” sensation they crave.

We aim to stop the flow of such products on the black market. We seize them to prevent more people from getting harmed.

A simple case for Tan Lee Lian’s team typically involves one suspicious seller at one location. All images in this feature are re-enactments.

Surveillance work for Tan and her team can take a few hours – in the day or at night – or a whole day.

Most of these are prescription medicines bought on the black market.

Peddlers often make exaggerated claims about their products being miraculous cures for health issues. Dubious sellers may also sell counterfeit medicines that can contain the wrong ingredients, incorrect amounts of active ingredients, or no active ingredients at all.

The effects can be deadly.

HSA officers re-enacting how they detain a suspect and seize illicit products.

Peddlers sell sexual enhancement medicines typically from makeshift stalls along the streets. Such drugs include sildenafil and tadalafil, which should only be prescribed by a doctor. Buyers also risk getting counterfeit medicines.

Peddlers may also sell illicit products via social media and messaging apps like Telegram.

We sometimes receive tip-offs from the public or information from other agencies. We verify the information and conduct background checks and surveillance before we detain suspects and seize their products.

To me, the most challenging part of the job is identifying the product because there are so many types.

Some medicine names are long and very hard to remember. We have to recognise different colours and packaging as the medicines come from different countries. Some packaging is labelled in a foreign language.

The sellers are also very creative as they are always introducing products we have never seen on the market. I still can’t keep up with the growing list, even after about two years on the job.

We rely on our experts to help us classify the products before a case goes to court.

Our enforcement operations include gathering information and carrying out raids. These take place in Geylang and other locations that I cannot reveal.

We need to be physically fit as we have to be on the ground for hours. We can easily walk 20,000 steps a day during operations. Sometimes, we don’t have time to go to the toilet or have lunch, and may not get enough sleep.

Our surveillance work can take a few hours – in the day or at night – or a whole day. We try to blend in with the crowd. My team and I can’t be identified in this feature to preserve operational secrecy.

Tan demonstrates hiding behind a wall to gather information on a street peddler.

A simple case typically involves one seller at a single location. With a few days’ planning, we can take action and catch the seller within the same week.

But a more complex case involves several sellers operating at multiple locations on different days, as well as a warehouse somewhere. Surveillance to observe their activities and identify patterns may take a few months in such cases.

In 2025, we acted on tip-offs about under-the-table sales at a shopping mall and conducted a major raid there. We seized quite a lot of illegal products – mostly pills that cannot be found in Singapore.

A more complex case typically involves more peddlers at multiple locations.

Usually, by the time we decide to hit a target, we are more than 80% confident that we will seize products. But sometimes, things don’t go our way.

Once, we set a date to go to a location to catch a subject. We were very confident that he would turn up that day based on the information gathered, but he didn’t. Such things happen. It was back to doing more groundwork to select another day for the operation.

Many people think the job is dangerous because we deal with criminals, but we place a lot of emphasis on our officers’ safety.

If the subject becomes aggressive, we call the police, who are equipped to calm the person down. If the suspects run or dash across the road, we don’t need to endanger our lives by chasing after them.

If the seller gets away, we can still seize the products and take them off the market.

When we go out together, we watch one another’s backs. If we need to have physical contact with subjects, my team members normally go first and take the lead in securing them. This is for my safety as most of our subjects are men who could be physically stronger than me. After the subjects are secured, I take photos and record their statements.

Over half, or 56%, of illegal health products seized through ground operations in 2025 were cough syrups, followed by sexual enhancement medicines (19%), and sedatives and painkillers (17%). These were also the top three types of products seized in previous years.

Some of my team members are combat-trained and I am the only one from a civilian background – I was previously a prosecutor at another government agency – so I started taking up combat sports. I go to the gym daily and practise muay thai so that I don’t become a burden to my team.

These exercises have improved my reaction time and agility, helping me to safely subdue sellers and defend myself if needed.

Because of my legal training and previous experience with court cases, I can train my team at HSA on how to preserve and secure a scene for investigators to take over, such as how to bag and label an exhibit. We also brief the investigation officers at the scene on what we found and on what the sellers said.

In my previous job, I noticed that some operations could have been conducted better.

When the opportunity to join HSA’s enforcement branch arose, I took up the challenge.

Officers undergo training in basic investigation skills, such as questioning subjects and taking statements, as well as in understanding the relevant laws.

Enforcement skills are quite transferable. Officers who are skilled enough can rise through the ranks and join other agencies. We can move into other roles besides field operations. If we undergo training in intelligence and forensic analysis, we have opportunities for lateral career progression.

Peddlers operate covertly in back lanes, but some bolder ones set up makeshift stalls openly in certain locations.

We can shut down a social media channel selling these products, but a new one will pop up. Sometimes, we see sellers who were caught back at it another day at the same or a different location.

So it can be a recurring thing. For example, we can take down something from social media, but a new one will surface over the next few days.

It’s a never-ending effort. But it’s encouraging when a channel is shut down because it means there’s one less avenue for selling illicit products.

All visuals in this feature are re-enactments by HSA officers.

Got an interesting job to share? Write in to us at ssharon@sph.com.sg . Catch up on the rest of our On The Job series here .

Industry: Regulatory enforcement

Relevant experience in law enforcement, investigations, intelligence analysis, regulatory compliance, enforcement operations or related fields.

A range of educational qualifications is accepted.

Must be willing to be involved in possible field deployments and call-backs outside regular working hours. “I look for people who have a background in enforcement or policing, and those who are street-smart. That would be an advantage because they would be quite used to the irregular hours,” says operations lead Tan Lee Lian.

Hidden reality: “We work in back lanes and corners. Sometimes, we have to check through rubbish bins behind restaurants. There would be cockroaches and rats. I have to stay calm, especially if I’m leading the operation. Luckily, I am not afraid of these vermin,” says Tan.

在本系列节目中，各行各业的人们将分享他们的生活点滴，讲述他们如何坚持工作，以及是什么让他们乐此不疲。本期节目中，我们将听到陈丽莲（Tan Lee Lian）向《海峡时报》讲述她在芽笼（Geylang）开展执法行动的经历。芽笼是贩卖非法保健品的重灾区。

我今年 48 岁，自 2024 年以来一直在卫生科学局 (HSA) 的现场执法和行动部门工作，担任助理主任。

我负责管理一支现场执法队伍，也是队伍中唯一的女性。

我的工作是查处非法保健品（如止咳糖浆、镇静剂、止痛药和性功能增强药物）的销售，并抓捕销售者。

自 2025 年底以来，我们不得不越来越多地打击电子烟和依托咪酯的销售。最近，我们还将打击非法香烟销售作为目标。

当有药物依赖的人无法获得他们常用的产品时，他们可能会转向这些药物，这些药物能给他们带来他们渴望的“飘飘然”的感觉。

我们的目标是阻止此类产品在黑市流通。我们查获这些产品是为了防止更多人受到伤害。

对谭丽莲的团队来说，简单的案件通常涉及一个地点的一名可疑卖家。本文中的所有图片均为情景再现。

谭和她的团队的监视工作可能需要几个小时（白天或晚上），也可能需要一整天。

这些药物大部分都是从黑市上购买的处方药。

贩卖者常常夸大其词，声称他们的产品能神奇地治愈各种健康问题。一些不法商家还可能出售假药，这些假药可能含有错误的成分、活性成分含量不正确，甚至根本不含活性成分。

其后果可能是致命的。

HSA官员重现他们如何拘留嫌疑人和查获非法产品。

小贩通常在街头的临时摊位上兜售性功能增强药物。这类药物包括西地那非和他达拉非，这些药物必须由医生处方才能购买。购买者还可能买到假药。

贩卖者也可能通过社交媒体和即时通讯应用（如 Telegram）销售非法产品。

我们有时会收到公众举报或其他机构提供的信息。在拘留嫌疑人并查获其毒品之前，我们会核实信息，并进行背景调查和监视。

对我来说，这份工作最具挑战性的部分是识别产品，因为产品种类繁多。

有些药品的名称很长，很难记住。由于药品来自不同的国家，我们必须识别不同的颜色和包装。有些包装上的标签是外语。

销售人员也非常有创意，他们总是推出一些市面上从未见过的产品。即使入职两年了，我仍然跟不上不断增长的产品清单。

在案件进入法庭审理之前，我们会依靠专家帮助我们对产品进行分类。

我们的执法行动包括收集情报和进行突击搜查。这些行动在芽笼以及其他一些我无法透露的地点进行。

我们需要保持良好的体能，因为我们需要在地面上待上好几个小时。行动期间，我们一天很容易就要走两万步。有时候，我们甚至没有时间上厕所或吃午饭，睡眠也可能不足。

我们的监视工作可能持续几个小时（白天或晚上），也可能持续一整天。我们会尽量融入人群。为了保护行动机密，本文中不会透露我和我的团队成员的身份。

谭恩美演示了如何躲在墙后收集街头小贩的信息。

简单的案例通常涉及单个地点的单个卖家。只要提前几天做好计划，我们就能采取行动，在一周内找到该卖家。

但更复杂的情况涉及多个卖家在不同日期于多个地点以及某个仓库进行交易。在这种情况下，监视他们的活动并识别其行为模式可能需要几个月的时间。

2025年，我们根据线报，对一家购物中心的非法交易展开了突击搜查。我们查获了大量违禁品——大部分是新加坡无法买到的药丸。

更复杂的案件通常涉及多个地点的多个兜售者。

通常情况下，当我们决定采取行动时，我们有超过80%的把握能够成功查获目标产品。但有时，事与愿违。

有一次，我们定好日期去某个地点抓捕目标。根据收集到的信息，我们非常有信心他那天会出现，但他却没出现。这种事时有发生。我们只好重新做前期准备工作，另选一天行动。

很多人认为这份工作很危险，因为我们要和罪犯打交道，但我们非常重视警员的安全。

如果嫌疑人变得具有攻击性，我们会报警，警察有能力安抚其情绪。如果嫌疑人逃跑或横穿马路，我们无需冒险追赶。

如果卖家逃脱，我们仍然可以查扣产品并将其从市场上撤下。

我们一起外出时会互相照应。如果需要与目标人物进行肢体接触，我的团队成员通常会先上前，负责控制他们。这是为了我的安全，因为我们的目标人物大多是男性，他们的体格可能比我强壮。目标人物被控制住后，我会拍照并记录他们的供述。

2025年通过地面行动查获的非法保健产品中，超过一半（56%）是止咳糖浆，其次是性功能增强药物（19%）和镇静剂及止痛药（17%）。这三类产品也是往年查获量排名前三的产品。

我的团队成员中有些受过实战训练，而我是唯一一个没有军方背景的人——我之前在另一个政府机构担任检察官——所以我开始练习格斗运动。我每天都去健身房练习泰拳，这样就不会成为团队的负担。

这些练习提高了我的反应速度和敏捷性，帮助我安全地制服卖家，并在必要时保护自己。

凭借我的法律背景和以往的法庭案件经验，我可以培训HSA团队如何保护和维护现场，以便调查人员接手，例如如何对物证进行装袋和贴标签。我们还会向现场调查人员简要介绍我们的发现以及卖方的供述。

在我之前的工作中，我注意到有些操作可以做得更好。

当有机会加入 HSA 的执法部门时，我接受了挑战。

警员接受基本调查技能培训，例如讯问嫌疑人和记录证词，以及了解相关法律。

执法技能具有很强的通用性。技能娴熟的警员可以晋升，并加入其他机构。除了现场行动之外，我们还可以从事其他工作。如果我们接受情报和法证分析方面的培训，就有机会进行横向职业发展。

小贩们通常在小巷里秘密活动，但也有一些胆子更大的小贩会在某些地方公开搭建临时摊位。

我们可以关闭一个销售这些产品的社交媒体渠道，但新的渠道很快就会出现。有时，我们会看到一些卖家在被抓后，第二天又在同一个地方或不同的地方重操旧业。

所以这种情况可能会反复出现。例如，我们可能从社交媒体上删除了某些内容，但几天之内就会有新的内容出现。

这是一项永无止境的努力。但每当一个渠道被关闭，都令人鼓舞，因为这意味着销售非法产品的途径少了一条。

本专题中的所有画面均为 HSA 工作人员的模拟演绎。

想分享一份有趣的工作经历吗？请发送邮件至ssharon@sph.com.sg。点击此处查看我们“职场故事”系列的其他文章。

行业：监管执法

在执法、调查、情报分析、监管合规、执法行动或相关领域拥有相关经验。

我们接受多种学历资格。

必须愿意参与正常工作时间以外的现场部署和召回行动。“我寻找有执法或警务背景，并且熟悉街头生存之道的人。这将是一个优势，因为他们会很习惯不规律的工作时间，”行动负责人陈丽莲说道。

不为人知的真相：“我们经常在后巷和角落里工作。有时候，我们甚至要翻看餐馆后面的垃圾桶。里面会有蟑螂和老鼠。我必须保持冷静，尤其是我负责指挥行动的时候。幸运的是，我不怕这些害虫。”谭说道。