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SINGAPORE – A lawyer was sentenced to 21 months in jail on Monday (October 12) for using methamphetamine (methamphetamine), also known as “ice.” He had been caught in possession of the drug at the Woodlands checkpoint in March 2018.
Mark Tan Teik Yu, 42, had previously pleaded guilty in district court on August 17 to one count of methamphetamine use.
He also admitted to being in possession of methamphetamine, various drug paraphernalia, and nimetazepam or Erimin-5 tablets.
District Judge Jasvender Kaur said she took into consideration several mitigating factors, including psychological evaluations that indicated Tan suffered from major depressive disorder.
This mental health condition was further aggravated by high levels of stress due to his financial situation, and by being fired from the law firm where he worked.
Tan’s depression worsened when he discovered that his then-wife was having an affair.
District Judge Kaur noted that Tan initially turned to alcohol for relief, before he was introduced to methamphetamine in 2012.
“The defendant was a mature, high-functioning individual before his first exposure to drugs. His methamphetamine use was a misjudged effort to stop his emotional spiral, and his major depressive disorder made him less prone to critical thinking,” he said the district. Judge Kaur.
The court had previously heard that Tan was in Malaysia on March 17, 2018, when one of his friends in Singapore, Iman Hakiki Azhari, contacted him. Assistant prosecutors Ivan Chua and Yee Jia Rong testified in court documents that Iman and Tan had been friends since 2010.
From 2012 onwards, the couple occasionally used methamphetamine and nimetazepam together.
The day Tan was captured, Iman texted him asking him to buy a box of Erimin-5 that contained 100 pills.
Tan agreed to do it for $ 750 and purchased the drugs in Malaysia from a contact known only as “DC”. While at the DC home, Tan used methamphetamine, the court heard.
When he arrived at the Woodlands checkpoint around 10:45 p.m., an Aetos officer searched his car and found a bag containing drug paraphernalia, such as a glass tube.
Later, an officer from the Immigration and Control Points Authority (ICA) task force was alerted and found more utensils for the drug, such as four colored straws and a rubber tube inside the car.
Later, the ICA official found some pills that contained nimetazepam and crystalline substances that contained methamphetamine.
A urine sample was taken from Tan and it was positive for methamphetamine.
He claimed that he had used the drug to feel “alert and awake” while driving back to Singapore.
Officers from the Central Narcotics Office raided Tan’s home around 6 a.m. the next day and found more crystalline substances containing methamphetamine in a drawer of a nightstand.
District Judge Kaur said other mitigating factors were also being considered in Tan’s sentencing. This included the “sincere efforts” Tan has made since then in his treatment, including his active participation in recovery support groups, and his low chances of recidivism or relapse.
District Judge Kaur added that she had also taken into consideration the fact that the amount of Ice Tan she possessed was “relatively small” and that the drugs were intended solely for her use.
After his sentencing, Tan was seen crying shortly before leaving the courtroom and hugging his family members.
He will begin serving his prison sentence on Monday (October 19). His bail is set at $ 20,000.
Offenders convicted of methamphetamine use can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $ 20,000.
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