Man found dead in halfway house after taking illicit drugs: Coroner

SINGAPORE: A man who was found dead in Selarang Halfway House died of mixed drug intoxication from illicit drugs that he had managed to obtain despite screenings by the authorities, a coroner's court heard on Tuesday (Nov 22).

Mr Ismail Kosnak died aged 49 on May 27 this year in what the coroner called a misadventure.

The court heard that Mr Ismail had a history of consumption of illicit substances and had a criminal record for drug offences.

He was sentenced in July 2019 for drug possession and released on remission in October 2021.

He was placed in a mandatory aftercare scheme in Selarang Halfway House that same month. He lived in a housing unit there and worked as a cleaner.

On the morning of May 27 this year, staff from the halfway house went to Mr Ismail's housing unit to alert him to a call.

Mr Ismail said he was tired and unwell and asked for a later reporting time.

When the staff members went back in at about 1.45pm, they saw Mr Ismail lying down in a sleeping position. His body was cold and he was unresponsive.

He was declared dead that same day, but nothing incriminating was found and no foul play was suspected.

A review of closed-circuit television footage showed that there were three housemates in the unit when Mr Ismail died, but none of them noticed that something was amiss.

An initial autopsy ruled his cause of death as cardiorespiratory failure. An assortment of drugs was found in Mr Ismail's body, and a subsequent report by the Health Sciences Authority found that he had died instead of mixed drug intoxication.

There were two drugs in his body that were found to be at toxic levels: Dextromethorphan, which is commonly used for cold and flu, and nitrazepam, which is prescribed for insomnia.

A virology test also detected COVID-19 in his body. 

There was no indication that dextromethorphan and nitrazepam had been prescribed to Mr Ismail, said the investigating officer. 

It is believed that he obtained it in an illicit manner, added the officer.

Asked if there were measures in the halfway house to protect against the possession of unprescribed drugs, the officer said the halfway house conducts daily 100 per cent checks on residents returning to the premises.

The residents will have to show a doctor's memo and prescription for any medications found on them. If there are no memos, the medicine will be treated as non-prescribed and the case will be referred to the police or HSA depending on the class of drugs.

There are also house rules that document that such medications are prohibited in the halfway house, and random checks are conducted on the residents on a weekly basis.

They also have to undergo regular urine tests. The investigating officer said that in this case, Mr Ismail had no prescription for the drugs found in him.

According to a report from the Institute of Mental Health dated July 2022, Mr Ismail was addicted to drugs like heroin, benzodiazepines and sleeping pills.

He was admitted to IMH for drug intoxication in 2019, but subsequently became uncontactable and did not return after having a relapse.

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said that Mr Ismail appeared to have gone back to taking drugs while on remission for his drug offences.

He was admitted to hospital in January this year, with his urine testing positive for drugs. He was arrested for drug consumption in April.

His autopsy found remains of pills in his stomach. There were also numerous substances in toxic concentrations found in him, which would have "synergistically caused coma and respiratory depression leading to his death", said the coroner.

He returned a finding of misadventure, saying this was not a death by natural disease. There was no evidence of foul play nor any evidence that Mr Ismail was trying to take his own life. 

The coroner extended his condolences to Mr Ismail's family.