Heroin addict smuggled methadone out of clinic
Print Edition
A DRUG addict receiving heroin substitute methadone at a city clinic hid a little in his mouth on each visit to build up his own stash, a court heard yesterday.
The accused, a man in his 50s surnamed Ma, ended up with 1.2 kilograms, Putuo District People’s Court heard.
Possession of methadone outside a controlled environment is illegal under Chinese Law.
Ma claimed that he kept his own stock as daily visits to the clinic made it difficult for him to hold down a job.
The court heard that Ma had been receiving treatment at the clinic since 2007, where he was given 80 milliliters of methadone a day.
“Doctors watch us take the methadone to prevent anyone taking the drug home, but from last year I started keeping a small amount in my mouth,” Ma told the court.
Ma would then put this in a small bottle and take it home, where he would filter it and store it in the refrigerator.
He claimed that he did this only for convenience, so that on days when he had no time to go to the clinic he could take a dose of methadone at home.
The court heard that Ma lost a job in the past as he had to leave the office every day to go to the clinic.
He didn’t tell the employer that he was an addict, so was fired for neglecting his work, Ma said.
“I lost my job because of the inconvenience of the treatment, so I tried to take some to drink at home,” he said.
He collected 1.2 kilograms of methadone in a year, storing it in bottles, police said.
When police searched Ma’s apartment in Putuo in January following a tip-off, he fled his home through an “escape hole,” officers said.
He was held by police in February.
No verdict was announced yesterday.
Anyone convicted of possessing over a kilogram of heroin or other drugs faces between seven years to life in prison.
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