Impact Of The Case Reynhard Sinaga, UK To Tighten The Circulation Of Illegal Drugs

British Home Minister Priti Patel (Instagram @pritipatelmp

JAKARTA - Police in Manchester, England are still looking for victims of rape that had been committed by Reynhard Sinaga. It is stated that the number of victims of this heinous rape case reached 190 men, of which 48 of them have testified at trial.

In addition to digging up information from people who may be victims of this heinous rape. The British government also began to tighten the sale of drugs that Reynhard Sinaga allegedly used in carrying out his actions.

Reynhard is said to put a mixture of an anesthetic called GHB or GBL (gamma-butyrolactone) into drinks. This mixture of drinks made many of his victims unconscious when overtaken by Reynhard.

"I am very concerned about the use of illegal drugs such as GHB to commit these crimes and have asked the independent Advisory Board on Drug Abuse to speed up a review to see if our controls for these drugs are resilient," said UK Home Secretary Priti Patel as quoted The Guardian, Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

Patel also condemned the actions of Reynhard Sinaga. "Sinaga committed a crime that is so disgusting and true that he should be sentenced to life in prison," added Patel.

During the trial, the jury believed that Reynhard deliberately drugged his victims using a mixture of alcoholic drinks with GHB / GBL fluids. This information was also strengthened by evidence of a receipt for GHB drugs from a Chinese online shop.

Long before the Reynhard Sinaga case came to light, it was possible that the serial murder case by Stephen Port would remain the highest profile crime in Britain. Stephen Port was sentenced to life in 2016 for poisoning four young men with a lethal dose of medicine.

The dangerous drug is none other than GHB or also known as 'G', which is in the form of an oily liquid or powder. When dissolved in water or other soft drinks, GHB does not smell or change taste.

The effect of using GHB can impact feelings of euphoria and increase sex drive for users. However, when used in high doses, even less than one milliliter, it can be fatal. An overdose of GHB can make the user lose consciousness, go into convulsions, and even stop breathing.

According to official figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics, there were 120 deaths in England and Wales between 2014 and 2018 as a result of GHB consumption. However, the total number can be much higher, because GHB is not part of the toxicology test if there are cases of sudden death.

GHB has been a Class C drug since 2003 in the UK, under the Drug Abuse Act. Anyone who supplies or owns it and is proven to be consumed, that person is breaking the law.

Users can be jailed for up to two years with or without an unlimited fine. Suppliers can be jailed for up to 14 years with or without fines.