On Monday (June 7), a former nurse was sentenced to a year in prison for use and illegal possession of methamphetamine.
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Blones Josemari Rico, a 37-year-old Filipino national, pleaded guilty to one count of drug use and another of drug possession.
Pinoy Ex-Nurse Convicted, Jailed for Use and Illegal Possession of Drugs
His sentencing was impacted by a charge of possessing a utensil for consuming the drug, the Straits Times reported.
Rico worked as a nurse at the time, but court filings did not specify what type of nurse he was or where he worked.
He was detained for drug-related offenses at a residential unit by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officials at about 5.55 a.m. on Oct. 9 last year, according to the court. The policemen were not notified in any way, according to court records.
According to state prosecuting officer Teo Keng Beng, authorities searched the apartment and recovered smoking devices and a packet of crystalline substance.
Methamphetamine was discovered in two urine samples Rico supplied to authorities after his detention.
On October 9, 2020, at around 1 a.m., he admitted to smoking “Ice” a street name for the substance, at his home.
Methamphetamine was discovered in the material found in the seized envelope.
To this, Rico admitted to being the owner and possessor of the envelope containing Ice. According to the prosecution, he purchased it for his own consumption from an individual known to him as “Maplek” around two weeks before his detention.
He received a one-year term for using the substance and an eight-month sentence for possessing it, with both sentences taking effect concurrently.
Rico could have faced a sentence of one to ten years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both for using methamphetamine.
He could have faced up to ten years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both for having methamphetamine.
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