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Caught with cannabis in the islands

Mum2
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buick Silver Member

buick

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41 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

The quick, expensive way out or the slower cheap option is what it boils down to.

i think this sums it up.  i have a feeling the quick, expensive option may have passed if he is already in a cell.  from what i know, the money needs to be paid to the police within hours if you want to be released as if nothing happened.  and the police don't offer this option to you, you have to ask 'how much do i have to pay to go home now'.  then you call a friend, they bring the money and you go home (in some cases, i've heard of the 'arrested' being able to go to the ATM themselves).

 

it is good that he has at least one friend on the island.  he may need food delivered to his cell by his friend.  i had a friend in a similar circumstance (locked up in bangkok over the thai new year for drugs) and his friends brought him food and shared with others in the cell.  that made him the #1 guy in the cell.  he was eventually released on bail and was allowed to leave the country but he had to come back for the court case if he wanted to be able to return to thailand in the future.  he lived in hong kong and made at least two trips back for the court case.  he also had a lawyer.  but as i recall, his airfare and hotel costs were higher than the amount he had to pay as a fine and attorney fees.  since he was locked up over the thai new year, he was in the cell for 6 days.

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darksidedog
darksidedog

Stupid, Yes, but there is a fair chance someone working for the cops sold it to him and set him up. Plenty of time to bawl him out when he gets home. Bail will be 10,000 at the court. Cops are trying

cornishcarlos
cornishcarlos

Of course it's bribery... That's how the Thai police make a living. They probably paid someone to report to them any tourists buying weed too. It's standard money making ploy on the islands

phuketrichard
phuketrichard

PAY  as fast as u can, the longer u leave it, the more people involved that need to make a % of the fine.   BAIL to the police means  "pay us and leave" DONT involve a lawyer!!  Price w

simoh1490 Senior Member

simoh1490

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I'm a little concerned that posters are giving legal advice here which may or may not be appropriate. The way laws are interpreted here varies from location to location and it's not clear to me that anyone who is recommending that he pays has actually been in the same identical situation. Before deciding on an approach the OP needs to consider those things.

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Mum2 Apprentice Member

Mum2

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Just had this from his friend but still not sure if they have paid any money over yet.... 

 

I think they’re taking this pretty seriously and he’s not looking like he’ll get his passport back but will let you know,  they say he has to wait until midday to see the interpreter. 

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Mum2 Apprentice Member

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5 minutes ago, buick said:

i think this sums it up.  i have a feeling the quick, expensive option may have passed if he is already in a cell.  from what i know, the money needs to be paid to the police within hours if you want to be released as if nothing happened.  and the police don't offer this option to you, you have to ask 'how much do i have to pay to go home now'.  then you call a friend, they bring the money and you go home (in some cases, i've heard of the 'arrested' being able to go to the ATM themselves).

 

it is good that he has at least one friend on the island.  he may need food delivered to his cell by his friend.  i had a friend in a similar circumstance (locked up in bangkok over the thai new year for drugs) and his friends brought him food and shared with others in the cell.  that made him the #1 guy in the cell.  he was eventually released on bail and was allowed to leave the country but he had to come back for the court case if he wanted to be able to return to thailand in the future.  he lived in hong kong and made at least two trips back for the court case.  he also had a lawyer.  but as i recall, his airfare and hotel costs were higher than the amount he had to pay as a fine and attorney fees.  since he was locked up over the thai new year, he was in the cell for 6 days.

They took his friend to get the cash straight away but because she panicked and tried to get the full amount in one his account got locked so it took a while to sort. They did however keep allowing him his phone in order to contact his bank and unlock his account etc

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poohy Gold Member

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2 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

I'm a little concerned that posters are giving legal advice here which may or may not be appropriate. The way laws are interpreted here varies from location to location and it's not clear to me that anyone who is recommending that he pays has actually been in the same identical situation. Before deciding on an approach the OP needs to consider those things.

Not identical but happened to a member of my staff in 2004 on KPG  25K asked paid he spent 1 night in cell i paid  and he walked

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phuketrichard Ruby Member

phuketrichard

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3 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

I'm a little concerned that posters are giving legal advice here which may or may not be appropriate. The way laws are interpreted here varies from location to location and it's not clear to me that anyone who is recommending that he pays has actually been in the same identical situation. Before deciding on an approach the OP needs to consider those things.

and some of us live here, know how it works and HAVE been or know someone that has been, in exactly the same situation>>>
pay Up as soon as u can, once the courts, embassy, lawyers are involved, he will spend time in Jail, might have to remain in Thailand, ( and be on an overstay), do jail time with a small fine....

Is it all worth it??

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poohy Gold Member

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25 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

shift change,,,,as soon as he sees an officer tell him to speak softly and nice to him and say he is ready to pay...
DONT sign anything

as soon as he is released leave town

IMHO

 

shift change /interpreter  follow advice above!

passport in exchange for cash sign NOTHING

Leave 

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phuketrichard Ruby Member

phuketrichard

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2 minutes ago, Mum2 said:

My son has the money but they keep saying he needs to wait until the interpreter gets there?

good,  they understand he wants to pay and thats what matters, tell him hang tight, be polite, smile and say he is sorry.

as soon as he has paid, go get his things and leave the island if he cant change his ticket and fly right home, get a room and stay low key. no drinking, NO talking about this to anyone........

hopefully there wont be a next time...

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simoh1490 Senior Member

simoh1490

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3 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

and some of us live here, know how it works and HAVE been or know someone that has been, in exactly the same situation>>>
pay Up as soon as u can, once the courts, embassy, lawyers are involved, he will spend time in Jail, might have to remain in Thailand, ( and be on an overstay), do jail time with a small fine....

Is it all worth it??

I've lived here for 16 years Richard and I've never been in this situation nor have I ever known anyone who has. But like many people, I've read all the stories that are third, fourth or fifth hand, so before giving legal advice with a seeming assured outcome I'm going to defer to the Embassy staff. I hope like everyone else that he gets his passport back if he pays the 49k but that's far from certain. 

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buick Silver Member

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20 minutes ago, Mum2 said:

They took his friend to get the cash straight away but because she panicked and tried to get the full amount in one his account got locked so it took a while to sort. They did however keep allowing him his phone in order to contact his bank and unlock his account etc

that is good to know.  he may not be past the pay and get out quick stage yet.  i'm aware of a situation where the police in bangkok allowed the 'detainee' to use a phone charger (from a police officer, his battery was out) in order to keep calling around to secure the money needed to get out.  in that case, it was 50,000thb and he was releases after a few hours (woke up a few friends who collected the money around 3am).

 

i hope he is out soon.  in any case, i don't think he'll be jailed for a significant amount of time.  i could be wrong, not sure how it works in samui (or whatever island he is on).  but many people have taken the longer, cheaper method in this circumstance in bangkok.  i don't recall hearing about a jail sentence in any of the discussions i've had on the topic.  i spend alot of time on the beer drinking circuit in bangkok and hear these stories all the time (plus had a friend in the situation as mentioned earlier).

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cornishcarlos Platinum Member

cornishcarlos

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5 minutes ago, Mum2 said:

My son has the money but they keep saying he needs to wait until the interpreter gets there?

 

That's good news but I would really try and split the "ransom" in 2 portions. 1 upfront,the other when he's out and got his passport back.

Then tell him to get the 1st ferry out of there and don't look back...

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cornishcarlos Platinum Member

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1 minute ago, simoh1490 said:

so before giving legal advice

 

No-one is giving legal advice. Posters are advising on how to pay a bribe to get out of a situation that was probably manufactured by the police.

Legal advice would be relating to the law !! This situation has no relation to any law, apart from the islands wild west RTP..

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simoh1490 Senior Member

simoh1490

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1 minute ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

No-one is giving legal advice. Posters are advising on how to pay a bribe to get out of a situation that was probably manufactured by the police.

Legal advice would be relating to the law !! This situation has no relation to any law, apart from the islands wild west RTP..

Terminology....! Legal advice, resolution of a legal issue, it's pedantic to debate the difference in this context, I think the point I made is crystal clear in that the outcome being recommended is not guaranteed, I personally think it;s best to present it as an option rather than an instruction since none of us are lawyers.

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cornishcarlos Platinum Member

cornishcarlos

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1 minute ago, simoh1490 said:

Terminology....! Legal advice, resolution of a legal issue, it's pedantic to debate the difference in this context, I think the point I made is crystal clear in that the outcome being recommended is not guaranteed, I personally think it;s best to present it as an option rather than an instruction since none of us are lawyers.

 

Again, no-one is giving the Op any "instructions" but merely offering advice.

In Thailand, where the cops are concerned, nothing is guaranteed.. Relying on the embassy would be bad advice, unless the lad has a few weeks to kill.

It's not pedantic to point out that this is not a legal issue yet, it's a shake down. Once it gets to the charges laid and court stage, then it's a legal issue.

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phuketrichard Ruby Member

phuketrichard

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as above, the fewer people involved the easier it is to pay and leave..Kho Tao police do this all the time...
sure u can stand up for ur rights, ( say in jail till court pay for a lawyer,  pay for bail, be released on bail and forced to remain in Thailand till ur court date, end up  on overstay,  ( cause u dont have a passport and cant get an extension)  etc etc but why???

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Mum2 Apprentice Member

Mum2

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3 minutes ago, Sandy Freckle said:

Surprise, surprise :shock1:

Does this mean the advice changes? The interpreter is there and they are waiting to pay - his friend doesn’t think they are budging on giving him his passport back though... 

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Panaeolus Newbie

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If he pays they keep the money, give him his passport and the case never happened. 

 

I was asked 36,000 to "avoid court". After hours of slow haggling we shook hands at 10,000 and the sea wind was racing through my hair again. 

 

Inviting the interpreter sounds bad to me. Unless its just one of the english speaking officers. 

 

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Mum2 Apprentice Member

Mum2

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I can get the money to him but they are taking his finger prints and say they won’t budge on the passport and he has to go to court. I have suggested offering more money to get the passport but not sure that is the best option. Like the guy said earlier I think the time has passed for the quick option. Thank you all for your help 

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