Corrupt Cop Plants Drugs

[britmaveric]

Corrupt cop plants drugs

Public warned of serious scam Top police are advising foreigners to check on the identity and credentials of men claiming to be Thai police officers after a British holidaymaker was framed in a most cheeky endeavour. Marc Anthony True, a 23 year old Londoner, said he would return to Thailand again, but Pattaya would definitely not be on his itinerary. He was ambling with his Thai girl friend in Walking Street late in the evening when two men emerged from the shadows and asked him if he wanted to purchase illegal drugs.

Marc refused point blank at which juncture the strangers declared themselves to be police officers and asked to search him. The Londoner said he had no objection, but one of the men felt in the tourist’s back pocket and triumphantly produced a quantity of marijuana in a small plastic bag. Marc was then told he must pay 25,000 baht or be thrown into jail and the key thrown away.

The two villains then forced Marc onto a motorbike and accompanied him to four ATM machines, but the Visa card was fortunately scratched and refused to give out any cash. Marc was then taken back to his hotel in north Pattaya but warned he had better have 30,000 baht in cash ready the next morning, or the jail threat would be carried out. However, Marc was advised by his girlfriend to report the stressful incident at Pattaya police station.

Officers there agreed to set up a trap in Marc’s bedroom with a video recorder and specially marked banknotes. The result was that the miscreants, who returned at 10.00 a.m. as they had warned they would, were arrested red handed. Marc appeared in court on August 23 as a witness for the public prosecutor and was allowed to return to UK at the weekend. The accused men, one a (now dismissed) Pattaya police sergeant, Mr Napatsakoren Watcharapan, and the other Mr. Surachat Saehun, a cop impersonator, were remanded in custody and face a battery of criminal charges once their case comes to court.

The prosecutor has three months to prepare his detailed case. Both men said they were ruined and could not feed their families. Senior police offer the advice to tourists that they should ask to see the ID of all people claiming to be police officers, whether in uniform or not, and agree to accompany them only to the nearest police station. Also they should not get in unmarked cars or on motorbikes. If possible, foreigners should also let a friend or witness know what is happening to them.

Barry Kenyon, the Pattaya based officer of the British embassy, said top police at Pattaya police station had quickly discovered that an attempt had been made to frame Marc and had handled the matter with commendable speed. “The official inquiry was a model of its type and Marc handled a whole load of stress with equanimity and common sense,” the officer said.

-Pattaya Today

31. August 2006, 19:21

[jdinasia]

Cheers for Marc A True!

[libya 115]

This is the second such scam in the last two weeks, last time it was a British guy walking in Soi Pattaya Land.

Why didn't he (Mr. True) just go immediately to the soi 9 police station? Why go to the ATM's if he knew he did nothing wrong. He should have stood up for himself.

This regularly happens in the Philippines, it happened to me once on the way to the rice terraces in Banaue. I stood my ground, while other dummies in the shared taxi handed over cash to crooks.

The publicity of this stunt is good though; it helps other dummies to do the right thing instead of fouling their pants and paying up cash to bullies.

[kurgen]

Why didn't he (Mr. True) just go immediately to the soi 9 police station? Why go to the ATM's if he knew he did nothing wrong. He should have stood up for himself.

I dare say he was crapping himself.Everybody knows that Thai prisons suck, the laws on drugs in Thailand and that corruption is rife in the Thai police force.

Given the chance of a 'get out of jail free card' for about 400 pounds or risk ending up with the chance in a couple of years to write a book called 'How to survive Thai jails when you're innocent', it's no wonder he papped his pants and went to the ATM.

I dare say if the ATM card had worked we would never have heard about this and the bent coppers would have been onto their next victim already.

I wonder what will actually happen to the copper, not much I spose

[Couthy]

This used to happen 7-9 years a go all the time around Nana BKK - not on the Plaza side but the African and Arab side of the street.

It became thoroughly annoying being offered dope, smack, and at that time, yaa maa, every moring, afternoon -whenever.

It was Thais doing it in concert with, yes, Nigerians, and they stiffed a bunch of people.

Thank goodness Lumpini cops got right onto it and the problem literally 'disappeared' overnight.

Full marks to Lumpini and as one of them told me - if ever find yourself in that situation start yelling, shouting and insist that you get to a police station: And don't touch or handle anything at all that you know is not yours - fingerprints and DNA.

Good advice I felt.

Why didn't he (Mr. True) just go immediately to the soi 9 police station? Why go to the ATM's if he knew he did nothing wrong. He should have stood up for himself.

I dare say he was crapping himself.Everybody knows that Thai prisons suck, the laws on drugs in Thailand and that corruption is rife in the Thai police force.

Given the chance of a 'get out of jail free card' for about 400 pounds or risk ending up with the chance in a couple of years to write a book called 'How to survive Thai jails when you're innocent', it's no wonder he papped his pants and went to the ATM.

I dare say if the ATM card had worked we would never have heard about this and the bent coppers would have been onto their next victim already.

I wonder what will actually happen to the copper, not much I spose

[sriracha john]

Wonderful. So we now have to deal with:

1. Good real cops

2. Bad real cops

3. Good fake cops... granted, that's probably a fairly rare dealing

4. Bad fake cops

Can we just buy a program, like at a sporting event, to differentiate which team the players are all playing on?

[Pattaya_Fox]

Thank goodness for forensics