Former pharmacist in control of drug warehouse arrested for smuggling cold medicine out of hospital

NACC Region 4 arrested a former pharmacist in charge of a drug warehouse for smuggling cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine out of a hospital, causing damages worth 380,000 baht. The suspect said he was happy to be arrested because there is no statute of limitations for corruption cases. He did not want to run away for the rest of his life and wanted to start a new life . Mr. Saroj Phuengramphan, Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of the NACC, assigned corruption investigators from the NACC Region 4 office to go to the area to arrest Mr. Sakkosin, a person with an arrest warrant from the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 4 No. 29/2564 dated December 30, 2021, who was accused of committing an offense of being an official with the duty to purchase, make, manage or maintain any property, embezzlement, taking that property for oneself or another person by fraud, or by fraudulently allowing another person to take that property, on the grounds of being an official wh o performed or neglected to perform his duties improperly. In order to cause damage to any person or perform or refrain from performing duties corruptly, on the basis of forging official documents and on the basis of using or citing forged official documents according to the Criminal Code Sections 147, 157, 265 and 268 in conjunction with Section 91. Mr. Sakkosin, when holding the position of pharmacist, performing duties at Naklang Hospital, Naklang District, Nong Bua Lamphu Province in 2011-2012, was responsible for controlling the drug warehouse and requesting approval to purchase drugs. He smuggled drugs containing pseudoephedrine out of Naklang Hospital and took them to his drug store in Na Wang District, Nong Bua Lamphu Province. To deliver or sell to another person fraudulently 4 times: 1st time in August 2011, 25,000 pills, worth 50,000 baht; 2nd time in October 2011, 25,000 pills, worth 50,000 baht; 3rd time in January 2012, 50,000 pills, worth 100,000 baht; and 4th time in February 2012, 100,000 pi lls, worth 180,000 baht. On the 4th time, he forged the signature of the director of Naklang Hospital to order 100,000 pills. In total, the amount of pills removed from Naklang Hospital was 200,000 pills, causing damages of 380,000 baht. From the investigation, it was found that after the incident in 2012, Mr. Sakkosin was subject to disciplinary action and dismissed from government service, but he continued to operate his drugstore in Na Wang District as usual. and has also opened a barbecue restaurant in Na Wang District. Until 2017, he escaped to work in South Korea. He worked in a factory for about 1 year. After that, he quit to do business in trading Korean products online for Thai people in South Korea for about 4 years. Until May 2023, he returned to Thailand. Mr. Sakkosin moved from Na Wang District to live in Naklang District, Nong Bua Lamphu Province, living in a rented house. And continued to work as an online Korean product seller until September 2024, Mr. Sakkosin moved to live in a rented hous e No. 70, Village No. 10, Naklang Subdistrict, Naklang District, by opening a shop selling snacks and small foods for students. On October 16, the NACC Region 4 officers went to inspect the rental house and coordinated with the police to arrest Mr. Sakkosin. He admitted that he was the same person as the person in the arrest warrant and had never been arrested under this warrant before. The arresting officers informed him of the charges and his rights and took him to the Office of the Attorney General, Region 4, to proceed with the prosecution at the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region 4. Mr. Sakkosin confessed to all charges and revealed to corruption investigators that he was willing to be arrested and enter the legal process because he later learned that corruption cases do not count the time while on the run as part of the statute of limitations. Therefore, the case does not have a statute of limitations. Therefore, he did not want to escape his entire life and wanted to enter the justice process to start a new life. Source: Thai News Agency