Doctor, acquaintance who took drugs in Sentosa hotel get a year’s jail each

SINGAPORE - A doctor and an acquaintance were each sentenced to a year in jail on Aug 12 for consuming MDMA, also known as Ecstasy.

The doctor, Rayson Lee Rui Sheng, 36, and Tan Li Ming, 29, were among 49 men arrested in a police raid during a party held at a villa at the Sofitel Singapore Sentosa hotel on Aug 9, 2023.

Following a trial, each man was convicted of one count of drug consumption in June.

In earlier proceedings, the court heard that Lee was at the villa to attend another acquaintance’s birthday party.

He arrived at around 8pm on Aug 8, 2023, mingled with friends, and then left for a club in Clarke Quay, where he was introduced to Tan.

The two men went to the villa separately in the wee hours the next day.

Police, acting on information, conducted checks at the hotel shortly after 5.30am and found substances believed to be controlled drugs.

The Central Narcotics Bureau were alerted.

During the operation, the authorities also found several substances suspected to be controlled drugs, including Ecstasy and ketamine, and drug paraphernalia.

Deputy public prosecutors Jocelyn Teo and Dhiraj G. Chainani had stated in court documents that 49 party guests were arrested that morning.

Lee and Tan then provided their hair and urine samples to the authorities.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) found traces of MDMA in their urine samples, while their hair samples showed they had consumed both Ecstasy and ketamine.

The pair, who were represented by lawyer Tania Chin, did not dispute HSA’s findings but claimed their drinks were spiked.

There were also assertions that police had failed to seize some plastic cups that might have contained drug residue.

The DPPs said there was no credible evidence to back their claims and added that the pair’s strategy during the trial was to present “hypothetical scenarios and unexplored possibilities”, including false claims that unidentified foreign nationals had mixed their drinks.

The DPPs described the claims as distractions.

The prosecutors added: “Critically, they have produced no credible evidence identifying any specific individual who allegedly spiked their drinks.”

While giving her verdict in June, District Judge A. Sangeetha found that the accounts the pair had given during the trial were not credible.

She also said their hair samples had shown prior drug use.

The judge added: “Neither man was a stranger to drug use.”

On Aug 12, the court heard that Tan and Lee will be appealing against their convictions.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.