Largest order for cold pills came from Lamphun
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered that the largest order in the country for pseudoephedrine-based medication came from Sirivej Hospital in Lamphun's Muang district, Provincial Police Region 5 deputy chief said yesterday.
FDA is planning to file a police complaint against the hospital.
Meanwhile, Pol Maj-General Chamnan Ruadraew said investigation had found a link between the Chiang Mai Memorial Hospital and Sirivej Hospital, while police were looking to see if there was a link to the large number of medicine packages burned in Chiang Mai’s San Kamphaeng district in February.
Police are also seeking an arrest warrant for another pharmaceutical salesperson believed to be linked to the previously arrested salesperson Mayuree Luangkreung.
Following an inspection on Monday, Sirivej Hospital’s director Dr Chote Nisung said yesterday the hospital had ordered 670,000 pseudoephedrine tablets and 390,000 pseudoephedrine-based pills. However, he said, all but 100 of the pseudoephedrine pills had been returned.
However, he said, since only 3,000 of the pseudoephedrine-based pills were left in its inventory, the hospital itself would launch an investigation. He added that he had told the pharmacist in charge of dispensing drugs in the hospital to file a police complaint, and confirmed that he had not ordered any drugs since March 2011.
In related news, Phayao police chief Maj-General Damrongsak Kittiprapat said engineer Thanakit Wongjin, 40, who was allegedly involved in the smuggling of 40 tonnes of pseudoephedrine tablets from South Korea was nabbed on Sunday in Phayao’s Mae Chai district. Police allegedly found 36 narcotics-producing equipment and 650 grams of pseudoephedrine at Thanakit’s rented home in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district last October, and Phayao police will send him back to that province.
