Canadian man being held against his will in Thailand, family says

[johnarth]

To me seems suspicious that no story in the news so has he been kidnaped? or is looking for free money? or has he been busted without being reported?

[buick]

always, always, always, tell the police you'd like to pay in order to resolve the situation.  do not wait for them to make an offer, ask how much is 'the fine'.  then pay that amount ASAP.  you will be set free as soon as the cash is received.  during the first few hours of hanging out with the police, you are free to use your phone to call people to bring you the money.  in some cases, you can even go to an ATM and get it yourself.  you could spend two weeks behind bars, see a judge, and be fined only 2,000thb (and not deported).  i'd rather pay 'the fine' upfront, be it 50,000thb, 100,000thb, etc... a doorman for a bar in bangkok was caught with a large amount of drugs (distribution instead of possession).  his 'fine' was 1,000,000thb.  he couldn't pay it.  he got 40 years but reduced to 20 when he plead guilty.

 

 

[Blackheart1916]

5 hours ago, darksidedog said:

You do generally get held against your will when the cops find drugs on you and reading the full story, that is what happened here. No phones in the jail, so the accompanying silence is pretty normal. Pay the bail and move on.

I agree the jails are full of people being held against their will, but where does it say he is being held for drugs?

[Media1]

5 hours ago, darksidedog said:

You do generally get held against your will when the cops find drugs on you and reading the full story, that is what happened here. No phones in the jail, so the accompanying silence is pretty normal. Pay the bail and move on.

Absolute rubbish. People come to stupid conclusions fast here. All part of the parcel lol.

This is dirty police trying a quick extortion

[Media1]

5 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

the police

he is on a drugs charge

needs bail money

rubbish you talk 

[Kerryd]

Couldn't find a direct link to the Thailand Narcotic Drug Act (2560) so I had to copy/paste the info from some other sites:

*Note - by "disposal" I believe they mean "distribution" or "trafficking".

 

"For Cannabis Under Category 5 (Section 76/1):

• From 2-15 years imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 – 1,500,000 Baht for production, importation or exportation
• From 2-10 years imprisonment or a fine of 40,000 – 200,000 Baht or both for disposal or possession for the purpose of disposal. If the quantity is over 10 kilograms, the penalty is increased to a maximum of 15 years and a fine of 200,000 – 1,500,000 Baht
• Imprisonment not exceeding 5 years and or a fine not exceeding 100,000 Baht or both for possession

• Imprisonment not exceeding 1 year and a fine of 100,000 – 1,000,000 for consumption"

 

I think "Consumption" is for those that fail the piss test or where they suspect someone may have smoked/eaten the evidence before being caught.

 

[Kerryd]

6 minutes ago, Blackheart1916 said:

I agree the jails are full of people being held against their will, but where does it say he is being held for drugs?

 

On the GoFundMe page they've set up they say Johnson has decided to plead guilty to "distribution of marijuana". Also, in the original news story, his friends said “They’d arrested him and were charging him with having weed on him,”.

[F4UCorsair]

31 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

You had the luxury of a cage van?   I made the same trip from Lumpini police station to court handcuffed to the bed of a police pickup on at least two occasions for the amusement of onlookers.  Red traffic lights were the best part.

 

Well tell us what your crime was.   Don't leave us hanging.

[Just Weird]

Just now, F4UCorsair said:

 

Well tell us what your crime was.   Don't leave us hanging.

Nope.

[Blackheart1916]

3 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

 

On the GoFundMe page they've set up they say Johnson has decided to plead guilty to "distribution of marijuana". Also, in the original news story, his friends said “They’d arrested him and were charging him with having weed on him,”.

yep I stand corrected, didn't read the comments too far in just the original story.  Seems our boy has been having a dabble and didn't take the opportunity to buy out early.

[cookieqw]

And the proverbial ‘ go fund me page ‘ is up and running

[Skeptic7]

Deleted

Edited January 14, 2018 by Skeptic7

[dluek]

5 hours ago, Kerryd said:

What a load of absolute BS !!

He was busted for having drugs on him ! I suspect that the cops were telling him how much he'd have to pay for BAIL.

 

But the story tries to make it sound like he was kidnapped and being held for ransom (and being starved). Then, at the bottom, no surprise - a "gofundme" link.

Hence the "drama" in the story. Got to play it up and hope those donations start flowing in !

I can't find a link to a local news report about his arrest (which supposedly happened on 9 Jan). 

Right, because the upstanding Thai cops never extort foreign tourists for thousands of dollars after finding weed on them. It's always just "bail" money. 

[sawadeeken]

I can't help believe that he was targeted because he is 'black'..... and since he was found involved with drugs he was held.......

Thailand is sweeping the streets of 'blacks' mostly because of the 'Nigerians and their likes'.......... It can't happen in 'first world countries' because of anti-discrimination laws.............. BUT Thailand is having a 'helluva success' with it since they aren't encumbered by such foolish laws.......... In the US our cops have their hands tied behind their backs with such laws and cannot do their jobs properly for fear of 'crying racist' claims........... 3 cheers for Thailand not letting 'them' hide behind that 'discrimination BS'........... One of the few good things I can give Thailand credit for...... IS....... they can see a spade.... as a spade.......... and when it looks like a 'spade'.... IT MOST LIKELY IS A 'SPADE'.........

You must give Thailand 'credit' where 'credit' is deserved........... Their 'BLACK sweep' has been very successful, although they have checked a FEW blacks and found no violations........ and those blacks are living happily ever after.............

[Rimmer]

Two posts in French have been removed, as this is an English language forum please post only in English thank you.

[buick]

2 minutes ago, sawadeeken said:

I can't help believe that he was targeted because he is 'black'.

they target foreigners, skin color doesn't matter.  i've been through the police checkpoints and seen the checkpoints from elevated walkways (in bangkok).  they only stop foreigners in taxis.  never a non-taxi vehicle.  i don't know how this person was caught, maybe not at a checkpoint, but alot of non-black people are targeted regularly.

[jerojero]

What a retard. Nuff said.

[Myran]

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. And why is it that the families never use their own funds to take care of their relatives? If a $3000 lawyer is so important, sell your car or take out a loan to pay for it. With these funding campaigns the people aren't actually helping the person in trouble, but rather make sure that the families don't have to sell their TV's and cars.

[elnet1]

Fake news....

 

 

Fast forward to 2:20

[sawadeeken]

4 minutes ago, buick said:

they target foreigners, skin color doesn't matter.  i've been through the police checkpoints and seen the checkpoints from elevated walkways (in bangkok).  they only stop foreigners in taxis.  never a non-taxi vehicle.  i don't know how this person was caught, maybe not at a checkpoint, but alot of non-black people are targeted regularly.

You are mostly right......... They do target 'farangs' at 'POLICE CHECKPOINTS' because they know 'who has money' ..... But if you read ThaiVisa you will have read about the 'big sweep' where Police are concentrating mainly on 'Blacks' and mostly on the streets of Bangkok.......... And I might add that from the reports I've read the Police have had a VERY HIGH RATE of success in targeting the blacks and are prosecuting or deporting a very large number of 'Africans'................

[Kerryd]

1 hour ago, RickTik said:

Another case of misinformation. I've spent some time researching hemp not too long ago and it's the same thing every time.

 

• Hemp IS LEGAL to grow in the US - if you get a license ! Few people do though. Hmmm I wonder why....... It has been legal to grow (under license) since at least 1970 ! (Legal to grow in a few other countries as well. It's been legal to cultivate - under license - in the UK since 1971. It's been legal to grow in Canada - under license - since 1998 but between 2004 and 2009, production dropped by over 44%, probably due to low market demand.)
• Hemp is NOT the same as Marijuana. (However, it is VERY useful when trying to HIDE marijuana production.) Hemp contains very little THC at all compared to marijuana and therefore has limited use as a medicinal. (Just like poppies. Some species are only good for their seeds when making muffins. Other species produce opium.)
• Hemp is NOT "commercially viable". In FACT, hemp production declined dramatically after the invention of synthetic fibres (like nylon) back in the 1930s which were cheaper and easier to produce. Hemp is still grown in some countries, but nowhere near the quantities it used to be before synthetics took over.
• Hemp is NOT an "alternative" source of pulp, better than regular trees. Seriously. Think about it. If hemp was that good there wouldn't be a forest left standing in the USA, They'd have all been cut down and replaced by hemp generations ago. Do you really think, for a second, that all the pulp companies would deliberately avoid a product that was cheaper, better and grew quicker than timber ? The truth is, the machinery and technology needed to make pulp from hemp was far more expensive (and less efficient) than that needed to do the same thing with normal trees. That is why hemp is not being used instead of trees.
• Hemp has very, very little use in "shelters", although hemp fibres are used in some "specialty" homes.
  
  Sure it can be used for (animal) feed. So can a thousand other plants. It's use as clothing is also limited. In the UK, the majority of the hemp produced is used as (LOL) - animal bedding !!!

The simple fact is, hemp is not as useful as it was in the past, it is not commercially viable and the only real use for it anymore is to hide marijuana production (and gee, you don't think the authorities know that too). 
Worldwide (commercial) hemp production was estimated at a mere 30,000 tons in 2003 and rose to nearly 68,000 tons by 2013 fuelled mainly by France, while production in China decreased. The main demand for hemp currently is for it's seeds (much like poppy seeds - used for cooking and baking).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp

 

https://modernfarmer.com/2013/10/legal-industrial-hemp-wont-matter/

 

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Held against his will?  I'm sure his will is to go home but if he was caught with drugs he'll have to go through the process like everyone else...

[MyFriend You]

6 hours ago, sanemax said:

Got arrested for something , given the opportunity to pay his way out , didnt take that opportunity, now faces Court and sentencing 

Just like in most countries, 'cept some won;t even offer bail for drug offenses, straight to the hoosegow!!  wait for trial. found guilty, back to jail  -  life is simple that way.  Do the crime, do the time (or worse)

[sawadee1947]

very fishy story...............especially when you look on his photo: a little shy boy.....????

[CanuckThai]

If this @ucktard is from Edmonton, he knows the ropes.   Shear stupidity to think you can get away with certain games in a foreign country.  ....dealing drugs?  Good luck chief.   

[Ron19]

A post in a foreign language has been removed.

[MyFriend You]

3 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

Hi guys! With the help of the Thai-Canadian Embassy, we have been able to locate Shawn. He is being held at a police station in Bangkok that literally - on its GOOGLE MAPS reviews - has multiple people from other countries who were tourists there saying that the 'police' at this station are known for working with night club owners in the area to set up foreigners to scam their families out of money.

 

   Gofundyourself.-

What the hell is a Thai-Canadian Embassy??  Didn't know Embassies could be Dual National.  Yep, he's guilty   -    Go Fund Yourself   -  he will be here for awhile unless he has the capital to pay he fine, get deported and blacklisted for ?? Years.   Any funds raised for this purpose is lost, don.t waste your money.

[Kerryd]

24 minutes ago, buick said:

they target foreigners, skin color doesn't matter.  i've been through the police checkpoints and seen the checkpoints from elevated walkways (in bangkok).  they only stop foreigners in taxis.  never a non-taxi vehicle.  i don't know how this person was caught, maybe not at a checkpoint, but alot of non-black people are targeted regularly.

 

12 minutes ago, sawadeeken said:

You are mostly right......... They do target 'farangs' at 'POLICE CHECKPOINTS' because they know 'who has money' ..... But if you read ThaiVisa you will have read about the 'big sweep' where Police are concentrating mainly on 'Blacks' and mostly on the streets of Bangkok.......... And I might add that from the reports I've read the Police have had a VERY HIGH RATE of success in targeting the blacks and are prosecuting or deporting a very large number of 'Africans'................

 

While looking up the penalties for drug possession/trafficking, I came across this bit on a legal site (with a guide to Thai laws for tourists):

"  Selling and Smuggling

West Africans living in Thailand are randomly investigated by the Immigration Bureau and Thai drug enforcement agencies for selling drugs and organizing drug smuggling operations.

The Immigration Bureau identifies West Africans from Nigeria, Mali and Ghana, and the East Africa Republic of Kenya as foreigners watched closely for connections to drug activity. 

Other groups of foreigners suspected of drug activity in Thailand are Southeast Asian Chinese, Iranians, Indians, Pakistanis, and Nepalese. Iranian groups have been recently investigated for smuggling Ice into Thailand through international airports.  The northern border of Thailand is the most frequently used route for drug smuggling followed by borders along the Mekong River and international airports."

I keep in mind though that he (supposedly) is planning on pleading guilty to "distributing marijuana" so I suspect he was caught doing a little more than just smoking or having a couple joints in his pocket.

It seems he was only in Thailand for barely 5 days when he was busted. 

[bkkcanuck8]

3 minutes ago, TunnelRat69 said:

What the hell is a Thai-Canadian Embassy?? 

Now you are being purposely a little obtuse - he could have used a formal designation like "Embassy of Canada to Thailand" but I am sure that it was completely understandable by most of us. 

[jenny2017]

5 minutes ago, TunnelRat69 said:

What the hell is a Thai-Canadian Embassy??  Didn't know Embassies could be Dual National.  Yep, he's guilty   -    Go Fund Yourself   -  he will be here for awhile unless he has the capital to pay he fine, get deported and blacklisted for ?? Years.   Any funds raised for this purpose is lost, don.t waste your money.

It's from the Gofundmepage, the whole ballgame is changing if he's smuggled pot into Thailand.