Constant Raid in Geylang is Useless

[MarrickG]

THE abuse of pharmaceutical drugs remain - even after strict measures to curb Dormicum, Codeine and Subutex misuse.

In the back lanes of Geylang and now at some Geylang coffee shops, addicts are buying their drug of choice and getting their fix on the spot.

The brazen behaviour of the addicts have upset some residents, who alerted The New Paper on Sunday to the issue.

We followed the trail of empty cough medicine bottles on 18 Feb.

In the drains and sidewalks of some alleys between Lorong 9 and Lorong 13, these plastic bottles have been piling up among discarded cigarette butts, boxes and dried leaves.

For the cleaners and some coffee shop owners, it is a headache.

At Lorong 13, one resident claimed he sees between 50 and 100 bottles a day in the drains or scattered on the pavements.

These, he said, have been dumped by codeine addicts after they get their fix. And it gets worse during the weekends.

Codeine is the key ingredient found in cough syrup which, when consumed in large quantities, can lead to dizzy spells, constipation and even death.

It is controlled under the Poisons Act, which states that any unlicensed person caught importing, selling or possessing it for sale can be fined up to $10,000 and face a jail term of upto two years.

Said the Geylang resident, who declined to be identified: "I pity the cleaners who have to clean up after this mess."

Of bigger concern is the identity of these codeine addicts.

A member of one clan association located in the area fears that such addicts may be using its premises for their fixes.

An association member, who declined to be identified, said: "In the last three weeks, I have been finding empty bottles on our association's premises.

"It makes me wonder if these addicts have been using our premises as a haven to consume this codeine."

Resurgence?

The clan's caretaker said: "We've never seen it so bad before these last three weeks. There seems to be a resurgence in the number of addicts."

Clan members and residents say they know the suppliers.

They were even able to describe what they look like and where they operate.

The culprits, they say, are a group of three men and a woman.

These sellers sit for hours at coffee shops along Lorong 9 at night, surreptitiously peddling their wares from small pouches and paper bags.

They would hide the cough syrup bottles behind potted plants.

When they run out of supplies, they would get more from a supplier who went from seller to seller on a bicycle with his wares stashed in a motorcycle box on the back of his bike. It is understood that each 90ml bottle of codeine costs about $8.

Each transaction is discreet.

A potential buyer will often walk past the seller several times.

A wary nod and a simple gesture of the fingers,and a deal is struck.

The buyer then sits at the table, money exchanges handsand he quickly leaves.

Buyers inevitably make a beeline for one of Geylang's dark back alleys or, for those more daring, out in the open, to down their night's fix.

They then discard the bottles in the drains or on the pavements.

Codeine sellers are not the only contraband dispensaries operating at night in Geylang.

At a side lane near Lorong 11, one seller was also seen doing brisk business.

Dormicum seller arrested

His goods for sale: Several slabs of white pills.

Earlier this month, The New Paper observed the seller at a coffee shop, blending in like any customer having a late-night cuppa.

One by one, an array of buyers " all looking dishevelled " would approach him. The man would reach into a small pouch, no bigger than a handphone case, to pull out slabs of white pills.

At the end of each sale, he could be seen counting a thick wad of $50 bills.

But last Monday, Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers put an end to the quack doctor's business.

He was arrested for selling Dormicum pills - a sedative listed under the Poisons Act. He was caught with 35 Dormicum pills in his possession.

To those in the know, like one of the clan members interviewed, "if there's Dormicum, Subutex could also be for sale nearby".

In 2002, Subutex was allowed as a prescription to help heroin addicts kick the habit.

But some abusers discovered that when a mixture of Subutex and the sedative Dormicum is injected, it gives abusers an enhanced "high".

Subutex was banned in 2006 when its abuse became significant.

Consuming or the possession of Subutex now carries a stiff jail sentence and fine.

According to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), over the last two years, several major joint operations with other enforcement agencies have been carried out.

Altogether, 10 people were arrested through those operations and were charged in court under the Poisons Act.

Codeine cough preparations amounting to an estimated street value of more than $2 million were seized from these operations.

At the same time, CNB said it is working closely with the Ministry of Health and HSA in keeping a close watch on the situation.

A CNB spokesman added: "There is no easy solution to the problem of drug addiction. "Beyond what the Government and the other agencies can do, the individual must take personal responsibility to avoid drugs knowing that it will bring misery to himself and his loved ones."