Cold-drug case narrows to 7 suspects
An ongoing probe has suggested that seven government officials, most of them pharmacists, have committed grave disciplinary offences in embezzling a huge amount of pseudoephedrine-containing tablets out of state hospitals.
The missing pseudoephedrine tablets have raised great concern because they can be used to produce methamphetamine.
“If found guilty, the maximum punishment is dismissal from the services without any severance pay or pension,” Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said yesterday. The probe was ongoing, he said.
He added that even after the panel headed by the Public Health Ministry’s inspector-general concluded its probe, the accused officials would still have a chance to defend themselves before the relevant civil-service subcommittees.
To date, the probe has pointed the finger at seven government officials at the Kamalasai Hospital in Kalasin, the Phu Sing Hospital in Si Sa Ket, the Udon Thani Hospital in Udon Thani, the Thong Saen Khan Hospital in Uttaradit, and the Hot and Doi Lor hospitals in Chiang |Mai.
Department of Special Investigation (DSI) senior official Pol Lt-Colonel Sa-ard Sunthorn said his team had gathered much information on the medicine-embezzlement cases in Chiang Mai but these cases had not yet been transferred to the DSI.
“We will investigate further if the cases come under DSI jurisdiction,” he said.
Before the DSI can officially take up any case, it must win approval from its board.
To date, investigation of medicine embezzlement at state hospitals is still under police jurisdiction.
“A primary investigation has shown that the medicines went missing from the Hot and Doi Lor hospitals. We have established another committee to look into the case further to determine why they have gone missing,” Chiang Mai public-health deputy chef Dr Surasing Wisarurat said.
Meanwhile, police yesterday announced the seizure of 500,000 methamphetamine tablets and 5.4 kilos of crystal methamphetamine.
“Police at a checkpoint in Lamphun intercepted a pick-up last Friday and found the illicit drugs,” Li police station superintendent Colonel Sompoj Sonkanok said.
He said the pick-up’s driver, Pirun Rittitraipop, 33, was now in detention.
According to Sompoj, the suspect confessed he was paid to deliver the illicit drugs to Bangkok. Pirun is now charged with having an illicit drug (type 1) with an intention to sell.
An informed source said Pirun was fluent in French because he had been a mercenary in France for a long time.
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