Former nurse jailed for a year for consuming methamphetamine

Blones Josemari Rico pleaded guilty to one charge of consuming methamphetamine and another for possessing it. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID

SINGAPORE - A former nurse was jailed for a year on Monday (June 7) for consuming and having methamphetamine in his possession.

Blones Josemari Rico, 37, a Philippine national, pleaded guilty to one charge of consuming the drug and another for possessing it.

One charge of possessing a utensil for drug taking was taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Court documents did not state what type of nurse Rico was at the time or where he worked.

The court heard that he was arrested by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers for drug-related offences in a residential unit at about 5.55am on Oct 9 last year. Court documents did not state how the officers were alerted.

A search was conducted in the unit, and smoking apparatus and a packet of crystalline substance were seized by the officers, said state prosecuting officer Teo Keng Beng.

The two urine samples Rico provided to the authorities after his arrest were found to contain methamphetamine.

He admitted to smoking "Ice", a street name for the drug, at his residence at about 1am on Oct 9, 2020.

The substance in the seized packet was found to contain methamphetamine.

Rico admitted to the ownership and possession of the packet, which he knew contained Ice. He had bought it for his own consumption from a man known to him as "Maplek" about two weeks before his arrest, said the prosecution.

He was sentenced to a year's jail for consuming the drug and eight months for possessing it. The sentences are to run concurrently.

For consuming methamphetamine, Rico could have been jailed for between one and 10 years, fined $20,000, or both.

For possessing methamphetamine, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years, fined $20,000, or both.

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