Doped drink close call

Deadly potion - A regular night out almost led to the death of Juan Surmon when a powerful drug was slipped into his glass

Heroin anti-fix almost kills innocent victim

After downing a drink laced with a potent drug used to rehabilitate heroin addicts, a young Richards Bay man came within inches of losing his life last Friday night. Juan Surmon, whose extreme fitness as a sportsman is all that stood between him and death, swallowed enough of the opioid Methadone to immediately suffer severe respiratory and cardiac reactions. Dizzy and disoriented, he was rushed to hospital - as was a friend who had mistakenly taken just a single sip of Juan’s brandy and Coke. According to Juan’s father, Eddie Surmon, his son and a few friends had gone to the Quay Walk pub restaurant shortly after 11pm. ‘Juan is a provincial swimmer and a moderate drinker. ‘His friends indicate that he only had one or two drinks when he started to act strangely, and therefore they knew something was wrong,’ said Eddie. ‘Their quick action in calling an ambulance probably saved his life. ‘A comprehensive toxicology report indicates that Juan’s drink was spiked with Methadone, and all the symptoms displayed support this. ‘No other substances were found in his blood, which indicated a dose of .228mg. ‘Medical literature indicates that ingestion of .250 mg is fatal.’

Lethal dose
Juan is not sure who may have spiked his drink with Methadone. ‘There had been a bit of an argument with a patron earlier on and we intervened and it was sorted out. ‘But the place was extremely busy and it's impossible to say who might have done it.’ Juan said he felt weak and tired for days after the incident, and with his immune system down had also caught influenza. He has no doubt that a woman or a less fit male would have died from the dosage he received. Should the person who adminstered the drug be identified, they would face a charge of attempted murder, according to a local attorney. The powerful synthetic drug, only available on prescription, is most often prescribed for recovering heroin addicts. A person addicted to heroin is given Methadone instead of heroin as part of a detoxification programme. In essence, the person is switched from an opioid that gives a ‘high’ to an opioid that does not.