Meth traces in syringe, but doctor on trial says it was used for insulin or flushing food particles from teeth

SINGAPORE — When he was arrested in March last year and a used syringe was found in his bag, the doctor told narcotics officers he had used it to administer insulin.

Later, Ler Teck Siang changed his story and said he had used the syringe to flush food particles from his teeth.

But the syringe was later found to contain traces of methamphetamine.

These details emerged on Friday (May 31) in the State Courts, as several Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers took the witness stand on the second day of Ler’s trial for drugs offences.

Ler, who is also linked to the leak of confidential data on thousands of HIV patients here, was arrested on March 2, 2018, after allegedly injecting another man with the controlled drug in a hotel room.

He is unrepresented by a lawyer, and is contesting one charge of administering methamphetamine and another charge of being in possession of a drug utensil.

The former head of the Ministry of Health’s National Public Health Unit is accused of providing “slamming” services to others in order to earn extra cash, including one Sim Eng Chee.

Ler allegedly injected Sim with methamphetamine, also known as Ice, on Feb 26 last year in a room at Swissotel the Stamford hotel.

A few days later, on March 2, at the hotel lobby of Conrad Centennial Singapore, Ler is said to have in his possession a syringe, intended for the administration of a controlled drug.

Hotel security staff later found drug-related items, including packets of methamphetamine and ketamine, in a hotel room registered under Sim’s name.

A used syringe, two straws and a bottle were also seized from Ler.

‘VERY UNCOOPERATIVE’

On Friday, Staff Sergeant Goh Bai Lin from the CNB testified that when he asked to search Ler’s bag, Ler did not cooperate.

The officer had been called to the Conrad, and was questioning Ler in the hotel’s fire command centre.

Ler told him that he had “civil rights” and verbally stopped him from searching his bag. Sim, meanwhile, let another officer search his belongings without any objections, the officer said.

Staff Sergeant Goh said Ler explained that the syringe eventually found in his bag was used to administer insulin to his patients. Ler was working as a locum, or stand-in, general practitioner at a chain of clinics around then.

When Ler cross-examined Staff Sergeant Goh, the officer said he could “kind of make out” the word “insulin” on the syringe.

However, prosecutors objected when Ler asked if the officer agreed that the manufacturer of the syringe intended it to be used to administer insulin.

District Judge Christopher Goh agreed that it was not a fair question.

Two other CNB officers, Staff Sergeants Palan Hemmamalani and Gan Cher Kiat, took the stand to describe Ler’s behaviour when he was brought back to the CNB headquarters at Police Cantonment Complex.

He was “very uncooperative” and “outright told me” that he would not provide a urine sample, Staff Sergeant Palan said.

He did not give in even when she replied that he would be charged for refusing to do so, and that the potential punishment was identical to that for taking controlled drugs.

Staff Sergeant Gan, meanwhile, testified that Ler said he used the syringe to clean his teeth as the officer was taking his statement.

The trial continues on July 10.

Prosecutors said that they intend to call more CNB officers that day, as well as potentially Sim, who has been released from prison and is now in a halfway house.