Unemployed man jailed for selling cough syrup

SINGAPORE: An unemployed man was sentenced to a total of five years, four months and three strokes of the cane for illegally selling codeine—laced cough syrup and drug consumption.

For drug consumption, 30—year—old Ng Yong Yi was given five years and three strokes of the cane.

He was jailed an additional four months after pleading guilty to four counts of contravening the Medicines Act.

Ng was a patient at Focus Medical Group, where he met Ho Thong Chew, the resident medical doctor.

Ng bought 150 canisters of the syrup, at S$600 each, from Ho between February and April 2011.

Each canister contained 3.8 litres of the mixture.

Ng in turn, sold these canisters at S$770 each in Geylang.

He made more than S$27,700 in profits from the sale.

Ng was also convicted under the Misuse of Drugs Act after he was found guilty of taking the drug ’ecstasy’ on 16 July 2011.

The court heard that Ng, a repeat drug offender, had been jailed previously for drug consumption.

Under the Medicines Act, it is illegal to sell medicinal products without a wholesale dealer’s licence.

Offenders can be jailed up to two years and fined a maximum of S$5,000.

The maximum punishment for drug consumption is seven years and six strokes of the cane.

— CNA/ck