Thai cop spills beans on bid to hush British backpacker’s drugs dealing bust

[snoop1130]

 

An unnamed Thai police officer revealed that his superiors attempted to suppress a story about the arrest of a British backpacker for selling Category 1 drugs on a notorious island in Thailand.

 

Andrew Brett was arrested on Thursday, February 29, for allegedly selling ecstasy and LSD to other foreign tourists at the Ecco Bar on Koh Tao island in the southern province of Surat Thani. The Thai officer, who wished to remain anonymous, informed a reporter that the police had been monitoring the drug dealer for several months before they swooped to nab him.

 

The Thai cop made known they wanted to conceal the crime because the drug dealing took place on the notorious Koh Tao island, widely known as Death Island.

 

Following a tip-off from a concerned patron, police initiated an investigation into allegations that the British man was distributing drugs at the bar. After monitoring his activities for five months, officers finally apprehended him on his way to the establishment on February 29. Among his belongings, officers allegedly discovered 0.54 grammes of ecstasy in a plastic bag, along with 25 ecstasy pills and 75 LSD sheets, locally known as magic paper.

 

According to police reports, Brett would leave his apartment daily at 8pm to sell drugs to customers at the Ecco Bar, a short distance from Sairee Beach where British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were tragically killed in 2014.

 

The police officer revealed that the case had been kept confidential for several months. Subsequently, they stated that orders had been given to “suppress the case”’to safeguard the island’s notorious mafia-like reputation.

 

“The suspect admitted that all the narcotics found belonged to him. He said he sold ecstasy pills to tourists for 1,000 baht each, while the LSD paper was sold at 100 baht each.”

 

Brett has been charged with possession of Category I narcotics for distribution and now faces a potential punishment of up to life imprisonment or even the death penalty, depending on the severity of the case.

 

Koh Tao earned the nickname Death Island following the tragic murders of British backpackers Witheridge and Miller in 2014. Subsequent incidents of tourist deaths have raised concerns, with several cases remaining unexplained.

 

Authors, documentary makers, and researchers have attributed these incidents to corrupt Thai police and a powerful group of local families controlling the island, accused of covering up the murders, reported The Daily Mail.

 

Witheridge and Miller lost their lives on Koh Tao on September 15, 2014. They are believed to have been fatally attacked by the son of a prominent local family on the supposedly idyllic island, after which corrupt Thai police allegedly framed two innocent Burmese workers, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo.

 

Following these events, numerous other unexplained tourist deaths on the island have come to light, leading to the chilling moniker Death Island.

 

Local police have endeavoured to suppress any negative incidents emerging from the picturesque island, while a select few local families, who have resided there for decades, profit financially from its appeal to backpackers and scuba divers worldwide.

 

By Bob Scott

Caption: Picture of British backpaker Andrew Brett courtesy of Daily Mail

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-04

 

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[worgeordie]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Subsequently, they stated that orders had been given to “suppress the case”’to safeguard the island’s notorious mafia-like reputation.

 

Makes no sense ... 

 

 

regards worgeordie

[sammieuk1]

Most likely a successful police employee until he wasn't  🤔

[jts-khorat]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

They are believed to have been fatally attacked by the son of a prominent local family on the supposedly idyllic island

 

Quite daring, to write such a statement...

[frank83628]

i wonder which reporter this 'cop' contacted with his secret info.. seems odd if it were a western one, seeing as there are non on the Island....he went to court in Samui so it's in the system, not exactly being repressed, there is also video footage of him during the arrest and there are photos, but i didn't see the usual finger pointing.

 

[BenStark]

8 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

i wonder which reporter this 'cop' contacted with his secret info.. seems odd if it were a western one, seeing as there are non on the Island....he went to court in Samui so it's in the system, not exactly being repressed, there is also video footage of him during the arrest and there are photos, but i didn't see the usual finger pointing.

 

 

They tried to hide it for the media. There is no mention they wanted put the crime under the rug

[ikke1959]

Near my house there is a drugsdealer too.. arrested several times but always paid off.. and he continues. But he is Thai and not a foreigner  maybe that is a difference and he only paid last time 50k to get free.  Happily no double standards in Thailand

Edited March 4 by ikke1959

[d4dang]

guy needs a donation and a subtle exit

[Nordic summer]

What the <deleted> was he even thinking? 

[Purdey]

I don't suppose he has a lab making LSD so who are his suppliers? 

[ChipButty]

25 minutes ago, Purdey said:

 so who are his suppliers? 

Dont ask 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The police officer revealed that the case had been kept confidential for several months. Subsequently, they stated that orders had been given to “suppress the case”’to safeguard the island’s notorious mafia-like reputation.

The Island that never gets fully cleansed... 

[jippytum]

They watched him dealing drugs for five months before arresting him.. Really

[frank83628]

12 hours ago, BenStark said:

 

They tried to hide it for the media. There is no mention they wanted put the crime under the rug

well thats understandable, i expect all the old BS will be brought up that is irreverent to this.

[Goat]

3 hours ago, jippytum said:

They watched him dealing drugs for five months before arresting him.. Really

Quite common in drug dealing cases.

To find out the dealers higher up the chain.

I bet Brett the Brit squealed.

But not as much as he will be squealing when sentenced to Thai prison.

What a scumbag.

[john donson]

so where did HE get his supply from ?

 

and was the officer a client or a business partner that he wanted to hush it ?

[jts-khorat]

5 hours ago, Goat said:

What a scumbag.

 

I am not sure I understand the outrage. LSD is not a drug with a high addiction potential like Ya Ba.

 

For example, there are forms of LSD that are currently (still) legal in Germany (1v-LSD); they are a biological precursor, which means, that they are converted in the body after consumption to the regular LSD-25. There are shops where you can buy it openly, or you get it sent by post.

 

On a quick assumption, this would be a fairly easy way to also have it arrive in Thailand, if not carried right in luggage. 75 sheets is merely the size of a small paper notepad, and it is an odorless drug, so basically zero risk of attracting any attention during transport.

 

On top of it, if it is not actual LSD-25 but one of the pre-drugs, I would be unsure if it is even on the list of forbidden substances in Thailand; you need a fairly good laboratory to determine this. I guess the court case will tell us.

 

I am a lot less sure about the 25 extacy pills, but even if one counts 5 months of dealing activity, this is a fairly small amount he finally got caught with. They also would have quite the small volume and fit in a tiny plastic bag, so to me this still sounds like somebody who brought a stash with him to finance his holiday. Quite stupid, sure, but hardly the crime of the century or a major dealer by any imagination. This is something where I would guess that Thai police is much more knowledgeable and that dealing with recognizable "pills" was what got this guy caught.

[MangoKorat]

19 hours ago, frank83628 said:

but i didn't see the usual finger pointing.

Oh, its there - look at yesterday's report.

Edited March 5 by MangoKorat

[frank83628]

6 hours ago, Goat said:

Quite common in drug dealing cases.

To find out the dealers higher up the chain.

I bet Brett the Brit squealed.

But not as much as he will be squealing when sentenced to Thai prison.

What a scumbag.

and you'd know all about drug dealers right? its not crystal meth.....i imagine a big fine. 

[Nick Carter icp]

23 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

After monitoring his activities for five months,

 

   Why the need to watch him for five months ?

He could have just left Thailand anytime during those 5 months 

[JackGats]

And we should make it worse for this Brit by republishing the story? So that a deal he may have struck with the police should irrevocably fall through?