A MAN reporting for his urine test at the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), walked to the urinal, unzipped his pants and began urinating into a bottle.

But the observing officer felt something was amiss. Upon closer inspection, he realised that the organ the man had fished out of his trousers and the liquid streaming from it, were fake.

The man had bought a prosthetic penis, called a Whizzinator, on the Internet. It is touted by its American makers as an easily-concealed urinating device with 'a very realistic prosthetic penis' that comes in different skin tones.

Attempts to swop urine, while few, are why officers maintain a close watch on their charges.

A senior at the CNB's supervision division said: 'To be honest, it's not a pleasant task. But if you have to do it, you have to do it.'

Knowing they will fail the tests, some abusers try to wing it by replacing their urine with water from the flush, sneaking in plastic bags and bottles of liquid to engineer swaps, and by filling condoms to 'urinate' by squeezing liquid out of the hidden rubber.

While those who cheat are few and far between, those who do not even show up for the tests are more common, but still low. Less than 5 per cent of drug supervisees abscond, the CNB revealed.

TEH JOO LIN

This story was first published in The Straits Times on Oct 27, 2008.

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