‘Careless’ Dutch official led to Dutchman’s 75-year sentence in Thailand

[webfact]

‘Careless’ Dutch official led to Dutchman’s 75-year sentence in Thailand

 

 

The Dutch state was ‘careless’ in its investigation into a Dutch cannabis cafe owner who moved to Thailand, which eventually led to the man being jailed for 75 years, the national ombudsman said on Monday.

 

Johan van Laarhoven, who ran several cannabis cafes, or coffee shops, in Tilburg and Den Bosch moved to Thailand since 2008. In 2014 he was arrested by the Thai authorities and jailed for money laundering, even though the offences took place in the Netherlands.

 

Thai justice officials reportedly started investigating Van Laarhoven following a letter from a Dutch public prosecution department official, informing the authorities he had earned his money selling marijuana and requesting help in a criminal investigation.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/03/careless-dutch-official-led-to-dutchmans-75-year-sentence-in-thailand/

 

-- DUTCH NEWS 2019-03-12

[300sd]

Injustice in this country ruines too many innocent peoples lives. It's disgusting.

[z42]

Still can't understand the harshness against drug offenders in this country. 

The laws and attitudes of the judiciary are all wrong. Dealing at a lower level is not worse than murder, rape, battery, or other violent crimes, yet it is punished so heavily. A disgrace frankly.

 

And just for the record, this man I don't ever remember reading that he committed a crime on Thai soil, yet he has been banged up with no mercy. Dreadful advert for Thailand's legal system

[WinnieTheKhwai]

It's because Thailand does not have a world class legal system.

 

(I'd like to submit this for the Understatement Award of the Day, please.)

[robblok]

What is read is that the Dutch government could not catch the guy, and someone made a mistake (maybe on purpose) that gets him in jail here. Its real suspicious.

 

But what is bad too is that they can lock someone up in Thailand for alleged crimes in the Netherlands.

 

I like my country and our drugs laws but they have to amend them its good that sale is not a crime. However the shops have to deal with criminals to get the big amounts of weed in the shops. This has been this way for a long time its a major failure of the Dutch system.

 

 

[lemonjelly]

The fact that his assets In Thailand were seized by the Thai government/cops speaks volumes.

[Orton Rd]

Why did the Dutch not have him extradited if he committed a crime there?

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, z42 said:

nd just for the record, this man I don't ever remember reading that he committed a crime on Thai soil, yet he has been banged up with no mercy. Dreadful advert for Thailand's legal system

His crime was having too much money in a Thai bank, the long jail sentence means he won't be able to ask questions about where his money went. There's been a few other 'foreigner with big money' jailings. Soon the police will realise most elderly foreigners have 800k in a Thai bank account.

[Artisi]

2 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Why did the Dutch not have him extradited if he committed a crime there?

Weak case, likely to be lost in court, - maybe 

[robblok]

5 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Weak case, likely to be lost in court, - maybe 

Exactly that they have been trying to get the guy for years, they always lost. His lawyer is quite displeased with the Dutch government for this low trick.

[seasia]

A Dutch friend of mine was talking to me about this a while ago.

Appears Yohan s coffee/weed shops in Holland were very successful.

He decided to move to Thailand so took all his money from his bank ( or wherever he kept it ) and placed it in a Thai bank.

I was told the amount, massive.

 

Money was taken from the account as well as of course being arrested and jailed.

 

Yet as far as aware no charges of any wrongdoing in Thailand.

 

Incredible story and seems very unjust.

[LomSak27]

2 hours ago, z42 said:

Still can't understand the harshness against drug offenders in this country. 

The laws and attitudes of the judiciary are all wrong. Dealing at a lower level is not worse than murder, rape, battery, or other violent crimes, yet it is punished so heavily. A disgrace frankly.

I assume this was just to get as much money as they could out of the Dutchman, nothing more, and then shut him up. Just another druggie OS, and who would care.

The Dutch officials definitely are culpable for what should be a tax evasions case. Dutch justice at its finest.

[robblok]

3 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

I assume this was just to get as much money as they could out of the Dutchman, nothing more, and then shut him up. Just another druggie OS, and who would care.

The Dutch officials definitely are culpable for what should be a tax evasions case. Dutch justice at its finest.

Not even a tax evasion case as far as I know the guy paid his taxes. They just could never catch him for a crime. Its quite bad how they played this.

 

I would not call this Dutch justice, not many cases like this. This is clearly abuse and I hope the guy wins. But i doubt it the Thais love to keep the money of course.

[mickymouse1]

Money Laundering case.

It is very simple to convict anyone if you fail to prove your source of income etc.

The USA has devices the R&R for this crime. Yet, the CIA illegally transfer huge sums to various parts of the world to change governments and create troubles etc etc not mentioning its drug operations. The Guy can get off if he hires good international Counsel who can at least get him serve any due sentence back in the NL.????

[phil2407]

Didn't he get done for drug trafficking and money laundering, even though his business was legit and he paid "taxes" for his business - seems he annoyed someone and trumped up charges - as far as I know he's never committed an offense in Thailand and was enjoying life after working - if the Dutch want him for tax evasion whatever extradite him - Interpol 

girss all his belongings and money gone - not saying it's the Thai  government or cops or others but guess he's broke here 

Edited March 12, 2019 by phil2407
Forgot to add

[oldrunner]

Don't keep large amounts of money in Thailand, legal or not, the brown envelope gang are a hungry beast to feed.

[Lucius verus]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

His crime was having too much money in a Thai bank, the long jail sentence means he won't be able to ask questions about where his money went. There's been a few other 'foreigner with big money' jailings. Soon the police will realise most elderly foreigners have 800k in a Thai bank account.

 Your comments are spot on .

Thai's watch everything we do here.

Police pay motorcycle Thais to follow farangs who are recent arrivals in the district. They want to see where you go and who you talk to.  Ie..farang talking to Africans in a Mall coffee shop will be I- phoned.... his pic going to the data base for further investigation.  Never hold too much money in Thai banks.

Farangs are such easy targets in LOS.

[wolf81]

7 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Why did the Dutch not have him extradited if he committed a crime there?

I feel the Dutch government wanted to make an example of him. If I understood correctly the Dutch government was trying to catch him for tax evasion. One of the greatest criminal offences in The Netherlands for sure, worse than rape or murder.

Edited March 12, 2019 by wolf81

[Kasset Tak]

Well, it might depend on how you see things... he brought money from selling marijuana, to Thailand, where it's ILLEGAL to sell marijuana and later got convicted for basically moving drug money/money laundering to/in Thailand.
Compare that with that I could be prosecuted in my home country (Sweden) for solicit sex from a prostitute in Holland (where it is legal, compared to Thailand where it is illegal...). I could also be sentenced to drug rehabilitation if I would test positive for marijuana after coming back from a trip to Canada.
And basically US is doing the same thing, Huawei sold hardware to Iran for their mobile network... that's a Chinese company making business in Iran, and by doing that they broke a US rule (NOT a UN sanction)... and US had Canada arrest the CFO of Huawei!?

[from the home of CC]

That's the trouble with half measure laws, too many grey areas. IMO Holland should have legalized and had legal suppliers instead of this 'look the other way while we restock the shop' business. They were forward thinking in the decriminalization, they just didn't take it far enough. I'm sure there were some elements (like possibly the gentleman in the article) who didn't want it totally legal due to how much money was to be made. It does look like sour grapes, perhaps jealousy to cause the 'official' to notify Thailand or perhaps it was some sort of payback from previous business dealings. Whatever the cause, Thailand was used to inflict punishment and now that the Dutch are admitting culpability perhaps something can accomplished diplomatically. An awful vindictive move by the Dutch, if it was me that was burned by my country and if possible, I'd sue till the cows came home. 

[PerkinsCuthbert]

1 hour ago, Kasset Tak said:

Well, it might depend on how you see things... he brought money from selling marijuana, to Thailand, where it's ILLEGAL to sell marijuana and later got convicted for basically moving drug money/money laundering to/in Thailand.
Compare that with that I could be prosecuted in my home country (Sweden) for solicit sex from a prostitute in Holland (where it is legal, compared to Thailand where it is illegal...). I could also be sentenced to drug rehabilitation if I would test positive for marijuana after coming back from a trip to Canada.
And basically US is doing the same thing, Huawei sold hardware to Iran for their mobile network... that's a Chinese company making business in Iran, and by doing that they broke a US rule (NOT a UN sanction)... and US had Canada arrest the CFO of Huawei!?

Not quite; I believe it was an American subsidiary or associate company of Huawei that the Americans claim was used as the vehicle to do business with Iran. On that basis, if true, it would be a contravention of US law. 

[digger70]

This isn't Right The man apparently made money from coffee shops (weed shops) they are legal in The Netherlands and claim money laundering, How is that possible if the shops are Legal. This has Nothing to do with Thailand . He done Nothing wrong in Thailand .Just because some <deleted> in the Netherlands government got his nickers in a twist (jalouse that the man was making money and not him) he send a letter to Thailand to  create problems for a man who done nothing illegal.

[fxe1200]

9 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Why did the Dutch not have him extradited if he committed a crime there?

Do not forget, he finally was cleared from any wrongdoing from a Dutch Court. All accusations were proved wrong.

[The Theory]

11 hours ago, robblok said:

sale is not a crime. However the shops have to deal with criminals to get the big amounts of weed in the shops

You mean “sell” ?

well, he was charged here with “money laundering”, not drug sell. 

At least as far as what I (old man) understood.

Edited March 12, 2019 by The Theory

[balo]

So stupid to keep money in Thailand , he could have opened an account in Hong Kong. And get away with a lighter sentence. 

[robblok]

11 hours ago, The Theory said:

You mean “sell” ?

well, he was charged here with “money laundering”, not drug sell. 

At least as far as what I (old man) understood.

Yes I meant sell, i was not talking about this case only but the problems of the Dutch drug system.

 

The system is good consumers can buy from shops (that part is good) but the part where the shops get their product (supply) is  still illegal. That is stupid in the law. They should have done something about that too. 

[Moo 2]

Hold a cotton minute! Thailand is considering legalizing Marijuana for health and more certainly for money purpose.

What would happen to people in jail for using it!? Release them?

[Moo 2]

Just now, Moo 2 said:

Hold a cotton minute! Thailand is considering legalizing Marijuana for health and more certainly for money purpose.

What would happen to the people in jail for using it!? Release them?

All the money I earned through cheating, I lost it by earning it honestly.

[The Deerhunter]

On 3/12/2019 at 9:41 AM, BritManToo said:

His crime was having too much money in a Thai bank, the long jail sentence means he won't be able to ask questions about where his money went. There's been a few other 'foreigner with big money' jailings. Soon the police will realise most elderly foreigners have 800k in a Thai bank account.

Scary, eh!!!!!!!!!!

[happy chappie]

I know of someone in virtually the same boat.he banked his money in Singapore.areested and extradited to his home country and served a few years.if he had kept it in a Thai bank he might do been doing a long stretch here as in this case.theyve banged this guy up and split the rewards,end of story.its a pity he didn't claim to be a Muslim and he could of been set free to go to Canada or Australia.