Serial thief in Estonia sold prescribed methadone, young buyer died from mixed substance poisoning

A 48-year-old repeat offender, Roman Soukhov, sold his prescribed methadone to a young man who subsequently died of mixed substance poisoning. Soukhov, a serial shoplifter, had been spitting his supervised methadone dose into a bottle outdoors and reselling it for profit.

A 48-year-old serial offender in Estonia, Roman Soukhov, has been convicted after diverting state-prescribed methadone to a young buyer who later died. Soukhov, already known to authorities as a habitual shoplifter, exploited a dangerous loophole in his addiction treatment to generate additional income.

Methadone spitted into a bottle

Soukhov had been receiving methadone as part of a supervised drug addiction treatment programme. Instead of swallowing the liquid dose as required, he spitted it into a bottle while outside the dispensing location and then sold it on. The young man who purchased the contraband methadone died as a result of mixed substance poisoning, a lethal combination of multiple drugs consumed together.

A pattern of criminal behaviour

Alongside the methadone scheme, Soukhov continued committing regular shoplifting offences, establishing a broad pattern of criminal conduct. His case highlights the risks associated with take-away or inadequately supervised methadone distribution, where determined individuals can circumvent protocols intended to prevent diversion of the controlled substance.

The death of the young buyer underscores the deadly consequences that can result when prescription opioid substitutes reach people outside the treatment system, particularly when combined with other substances.