HE knows it can kill him, but this Singaporean grandfather is paying no heed to the warnings from his friends and newspaper reports.
The 68-year-old, who wanted to be known only by his nickname Ah Hiah (big brother in Hokkien), does not intend to stop using the Power 1 Walnut, an illegal sexual enhancement drug.
The reckless grandfather of four has been using it for the past 31/2months.
Power 1 Walnut had adversely affected the health of at least 10 men, aged between 30 and 70, who had taken the drug here.
It even caused one of them to suffer a stroke.
Still, Ah Hiah does not feel he is dicing with death.
He had also been warned by a friend who had felt unwell after taking the drug.
The 68-year-old married man told The New Paper on Sunday in Hokkien: 'I need to keep my three girlfriends satisfied and happy.
'This way, they will remain faithful and will not look for other men.'
His girlfriends - all from mainland China - are aged 25, 32 and 34.
Ah Hiah has been dating them for four to six months.
'When an old man has three young, beautiful women in love with him, he needs to ensure he is keeping pace with them,' he said.
And he thinks 'the pill can do it' for him.
He had his first dose when he was in Guangzhou last October, he said.
Ah Hiah, who had accompanied his 25-year-old girlfriend back to her hometown, said he was offered the sexual potency pill during a karaoke session.
He recalled: 'That night, I felt so 'song' (good) and I could do it three times with my lover.'
SPECIAL TREATMENT
The next morning, he claimed the woman, who is here on student pass, was 'especially sweet to him'.
When Ah Hiah returned to Singapore, he boasted to his regular fishing buddies about the effects of the drug.
It was then that one of them told him that 'Power 1 Walnut is the trend' now.
Ah Hiah was told that he could buy the pills off the streets near Desker Road.
But he said: 'I don't like to be seen around the area. Not good for my image.'
He asked his girlfriends to help him scout around for the pills and soon found a supplier.
Ah Hiah admitted that the pill's low cost - $1 to $2 per pill - was another draw.
Over the past three months, he has spent 'only about $350' on the drug, compared to the 'hundreds of dollars a month' that he used to spend on other sexual enhancement products.
'I can afford it,' the retired cab driver said.
His children - three grown-up sons and a daughter - give him a monthly allowance of $600 each.
He spends some of this money on a variety of products to 'boost his performance'.
From ground rhino horn to deer's penis, Tongkat Ali and even Viagra, Ah Hiah claimed he has tried them all.
He was, however, quick to insist that he 'did not have difficulty performing in bed', though he admitted age has slowed him down.
'Sometimes, I can only do it once a week,' he said. 'But sex is an important activity in my life.'
His 60-year-old wife has reached menopause and is no longer interested in sex, he said.
She travels regularly to Genting Highlands over the weekends to gamble - when she is not busy looking after the grandchildren.
Which means Ah Hiah is left all alone in his four-room HDB flat in the east.
That's when he sees his girlfriends.
'I don't have any other hobbies, just sex to keep me happy,' he said.
His 'student' girlfriend, who spoke to The New Paper on Sunday over the phone, cooed: 'Ah Hiah Gong (grandpa) is so powerful. Now, he can even try all kinds of patterns.'
And it is such 'compliments' that keep the old man going. And trying.
However foolish and dangerous his actions are.
Asked if he was concerned it may affect his health or even cost him his life, Ah Hiah insisted: 'I think it's just a matter of being heng (lucky) or suay (unlucky).
'It all depends on how fit you are.'
What, he felt, was more important was being able to keep himself happy.
He reasoned: 'Think of it this way - some people can even die from excitement after winning a big hand at the mahjong table.'
Silly? Not to him.
Ah Hiah reckons that at his age, even if he died, he has nothing to lose.
'It is better to die an ecstatic man in bed than a miserable man on the sofa in front of the TV,' he said.
The 10 men who had been affected by Power 1 Walnut had low blood sugar, dizziness, cold sweat and anxiety.
Out of the 10, four became unconscious. Nine of the 10 men have recovered, but one man, who was critically ill, is still in hospital.
Another 29 cases could not be confirmed as the patients were not willing to admit if they had taken Power 1 Walnut.
All the cases were detected between 29 Jan and 20 Feb.
DEMAND FALLS SINCE CRACKDOWN
IT'S not just 'lecherous old men' who go for the banned Power 1 Walnut pill, said AhHiah's supplier.
'Some of them are in the mid-30s even. Most are blue-collar workers and speak dialects,' he added.
He has as many as 24 customers who are grandfathers.
'They say they are not getting it for their wives, but their young girlfriends,' said the peddler, who did not want to be named.
But demand for the Walnut pill has dropped drastically since the recent crackdown, he added.
The Health Sciences Authority recently conducted three raids on counterfeit drugs and especially on Power 1 Walnut.
The estimated street value of the drugs seized is about $200,000. Four men were caught.
Anyone found guilty of such offences can be jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $10,000 for each offence in the Poisons Act. Under the Medicines Act, it can be a $5,000 fine and/or jail of up two years.
After reports about the dangers of the Power 1 Walnut surfaced, the peddler said some of his customers stopped calling him.
The peddler, who sells the pills at $1.50 each, claimed he could earn up to $2 for a pack of four.
The low cost accounts for the drug's popularity, he said.
He claimed he was unaware of the dangers associated with the drug until the reported cases.
He said: 'I just thought it was a cheaper version of the Viagra. As I travel to China regularly, I thought I was being clever by buying them to resell here.'
Now, he is stuck with 'some hundreds of pills'.
Warned that he could face prosecution, the man snapped: 'Of course lah, I know that!'
But he refused to say if he would stop selling them.
'I can only tell you I will warn my customers about the risks. And I won't buy in any more stock.'
Those who have any information on Power 1 Walnut, or who wish to report other suspicious products, can call HSA's compliance branch on 68663458.
The unlicensed sale, possession or import of drugs controlled under the Poisons Act is an offence punishable by a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
Under the Medicines Act, it can be a $5,000 fine and/or jail of up two years.
This story was first published in The New Paper on Feb 24, 2008.
