MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow's Tverskoi Court has sentenced two Belarusians to 14 years in prison for smuggling 1,000 cough pills containing psychotropic substances, a defense lawyer said Monday.

The two men will spend 14 years in secure confinement for delivering 1,000 Tussal cough tablets to Moscow and selling them to an undercover narcotics officer.

The lawyer said the pair's offense was at best an administrative offense, as the pills were not included on a list of substances prohibited in Russia.

Tussal contains dextromethorphan hydrobromide, a cough suppressant, which in high doses is classified as a hallucinogenic drug. However, the annotation to the medicine says that even small children may take the pills.


http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070910/77706602.html

Seems like a little bit of an overkill to me:

1. The substance was legal

2. Perhaps the amount / method of shipment was what cranked the sentence so high?

Good luck to em...

This is russia. that type of defense is considered extremely weak.

Jesus Christ... Russia sounds like a fascist shit hole... :crazy:

They're probably just pissy because they have nothing to offer the world; their climate sucks a worm-infested camel's anus, and the only thing even close to "talent" to come out of there in the last decade was Tatu, and they only had one hit (that obnoxious, mediocre and repetitious song "All The Things She Said"). They weren't even real lesbians for fucks' sake. God. Someone please get Russia laid.

well yes the sentence does seem excessive by any standard, however i would have to guess it was due to the fact that such a large amount crossed borders. if they had say, gotten the tabs from a local source, it would have probably been much different.

distribution and conspiracy to distribute charges are far different than trafficking laws =/

also, a quick search on tussal turns up this:

Tussal-ER Sustained-Release Tablets Generic Name: Dexbrompheniramine/Dextromethorphan/Phenylephrine Sustained-Release Tablets

Phenylephrine or Neo-Synephrine is an α-adrenergic receptor agonist used primarily as a decongestant, as an agent to dilate the pupil and to increase blood pressure. Phenylephrine has recently been marketed as a substitute for pseudoephedrine

Dexbrompheniramine maleate is an antihistamine used to treat allergic conditions such as hay fever or urticaria.

totally not sure if they are the same tabs, but if they are, that sucks for the ppl that would have bought them =/

14 years for 1000 cough pills... jesus...that's way too long.

WHAT DA FUUUUUCCCKKK!!! :crazy:

itzz starting...

lol, russia

In Soviet Russia, cough pills smuggle YOU!

The article has nothing to do with the USSR.

14 years x 365.25 days a year = 5113.5 days
5113.5 days( 24 hours) = 122,724 hours
112,724 hours / 1000 pills = 122.724 hours per pill
.724 (60 seconds) = 43.44 seconds

122 hours and 43 seconds (about 5 days) per pill. Outrageous.