British man arrested for begging to buy drugs in Koh Pha Ngan

[webfact]

 

Thai police arrested a British man after he allegedly begged for money to buy drugs outside a convenience store in Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani.

 

Locals on Koh Pha Ngan reported to authorities after seeing a foreign man begging outside a 7-Eleven convenience store and using drugs in the area. Officers from the Koh Pha Ngan Police Station and the Tourist Police went to the store near the Phan Thip Market and arrested the foreigner yesterday, April 17.

 

The foreign beggar was identified as a 47 year old Englishman named Nicholas James Hartas. He was found sitting shirtless outside the store with a paper sign that said, “IF YOU CAN. PLEASE! MONEY FOR FOOD.”

Police checked Hartas’s criminal history and found that he had escaped arrest in a drug case in Koh Samui and sought refuge in Koh Pha Ngan. Hartas confessed to fleeing from the arrest in Koh Samui, stating that he resorted to begging for food. However, residents informed the police that the majority of the money earned from begging was used to purchase drugs.

Officers did not report whether they conducted a drug test on Hartas or found any drugs in his possession. According to MGR Online, Hartas faced two charges:

 

Section 13 of the Begging Control Act: illegally begging. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one month or a fine of up to 10,000 baht.

 

Section 145 of the Narcotics Control Act: possessing Category 1 drug (methamphetamine). The penalty is imprisonment from two to 20 years and a fine of 200,000 to 2 million baht.

 

A similar story about a foreign beggar in Thailand was reported in February. Pictures showed a foreign beggar performing yoga in exchange for money on a footpath near Mor Chit BTS Station in Bangkok. He did several yoga gestures with a sign written in Thai, “I want money 20 baht or more for a plane ticket back home. Thank you.”

 

Thai authorities attempted to arrest and question the foreign beggar, but he disappeared from the scene before the authorities launched the investigation.

 

by Petch Petpailin 

Photo via Matichon

 

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-19

 

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[theshu25]

What a loser this idiot is.

[Denim]

Free accomodation will now be provided at the IDC hotel.  Right up his street.

[JackGats]

"Section 145 of the Narcotics Control Act: possessing Category 1 drug (methamphetamine). The penalty is imprisonment from two to 20 years and a fine of 200,000 to 2 million baht."

 

Trying to procure drugs and possessing drugs are not the same thing. In most countries merely shopping around for drugs is specifically not illegal per se. This is so that undercover police can shop around for drugs to catch drug sellers without the police having to break the law.

[SAFETY FIRST]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

The foreign beggar was identified as a 47 year old Englishman

The Brits are back in the headlines. 😎

 

Nobody gets embarrassed any more. 

 

Send him to Australia, plenty of handouts for these losers. 

 

[harleyclarkey]

Ata boy....bringing the brits to the fore ... again! 

What a plonker.. brain must be frazzled! 

[cnx101]

3 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

The Brits are back in the headlines. 😎

 

Nobody gets embarrassed any more. 

 

Send him to Australia, plenty of handouts for these losers. 

 

At least he wasn’t caught having sex with a horse

[Hakuna Matata]

Oh, those pesky Brits once again! 

[4MyEgo]

Begging to buy drugs is better than committing crimes to buy drugs, IMO.

[khunpin]

Will he beg for the money to pay for the fines? 🤔 555 

[Jonathan Swift]

8 minutes ago, harleyclarkey said:

Ata boy....bringing the brits to the fore ... again! 

What a plonker.. brain must be frazzled! 

Meth = frazzled. And yes, probably not the brightest bulb. It's sad, really, these guys are sick with their addictions. No one would choose to live like this if they could turn back the hands of time. My brother died of his addictions after spending much of his adult life alienated from his family. 

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Meth = frazzled. And yes, probably not the brightest bulb. It's sad, really, these guys are sick with their addictions. No one would choose to live like this if they could turn back the hands of time. My brother died of his addictions after spending much of his adult life alienated from his family. 

 

Holey Moley.  A little bit of compassion.  Quite the pleasant surprise.

 

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

Well his handwritten sign is fairly literate compared with what some expats post here so maybe there's hope for him yet.

[arick]

What about all the condominium projects begging for money and then they take your money and they God only knows what they do with it but they sure in the hell don't  build your condo or give you any returns. 

[bristolgeoff]

What a silly thing to do no comments are needed really except idiot

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai police arrested a British man after he allegedly begged for money to buy drugs outside a convenience store in Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani

Is this the quality toursit TAT are looking for... 

[newbee2022]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Thai police arrested a British man after he allegedly begged for money to buy drugs outside a convenience store in Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani.

 

Locals on Koh Pha Ngan reported to authorities after seeing a foreign man begging outside a 7-Eleven convenience store and using drugs in the area. Officers from the Koh Pha Ngan Police Station and the Tourist Police went to the store near the Phan Thip Market and arrested the foreigner yesterday, April 17.

 

The foreign beggar was identified as a 47 year old Englishman named Nicholas James Hartas. He was found sitting shirtless outside the store with a paper sign that said, “IF YOU CAN. PLEASE! MONEY FOR FOOD.”

Police checked Hartas’s criminal history and found that he had escaped arrest in a drug case in Koh Samui and sought refuge in Koh Pha Ngan. Hartas confessed to fleeing from the arrest in Koh Samui, stating that he resorted to begging for food. However, residents informed the police that the majority of the money earned from begging was used to purchase drugs.

Officers did not report whether they conducted a drug test on Hartas or found any drugs in his possession. According to MGR Online, Hartas faced two charges:

 

Section 13 of the Begging Control Act: illegally begging. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one month or a fine of up to 10,000 baht.

 

Section 145 of the Narcotics Control Act: possessing Category 1 drug (methamphetamine). The penalty is imprisonment from two to 20 years and a fine of 200,000 to 2 million baht.

 

A similar story about a foreign beggar in Thailand was reported in February. Pictures showed a foreign beggar performing yoga in exchange for money on a footpath near Mor Chit BTS Station in Bangkok. He did several yoga gestures with a sign written in Thai, “I want money 20 baht or more for a plane ticket back home. Thank you.”

 

Thai authorities attempted to arrest and question the foreign beggar, but he disappeared from the scene before the authorities launched the investigation.

 

by Petch Petpailin 

Photo via Matichon

 

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-19

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe
 

Free return flight ???👍👏🤗

[Dr Jon]

3 minutes ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

Well his handwritten sign is fairly literate compared with what some expats post here so maybe there's hope for him yet.

Drugs? The note clearly states that he needs money for food!

[Frankie baby]

Beats me how they get here, probably had very little of anything to start with. I think a proper & apt deportation is on the cards. 

[freeworld]

One has to sympathise with these people, they get pressured into taking drugs, take them for whatever reason and get hooked and then cant stop. The British govt should be doing more to help them.

[JeffersLos]

Begging to get arrested 

 

[freeworld]

11 minutes ago, Dr Jon said:

Drugs? The note clearly states that he needs money for food!

Yes but this is in the article

 

"Police checked Hartas’s criminal history and found that he had escaped arrest in a drug case in Koh Samui and sought refuge in Koh Pha Ngan. Hartas confessed to fleeing from the arrest in Koh Samui, stating that he resorted to begging for food. However, residents informed the police that the majority of the money earned from begging was used to purchase drugs."

[Lopburikid]

33 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Begging to buy drugs is better than committing crimes to buy drugs, IMO.

He was also on the run from Samui, where he was/is wanted for drug offences.

[Photoguy21]

36 minutes ago, cnx101 said:

At least he wasn’t caught having sex with a horse

Maybe drugs is the name of his horse.

[UKJASE]

19 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Free return flight ???👍👏🤗

 

no free flights home from IDC......  if you dont have the money, you stay there until you can find it.  some people been locked in those 2 cells for years 😞

 

[norfolkandchance]

37 minutes ago, khunpin said:

Will he beg for the money to pay for the fines? 🤔 555 

Or his Airline ticket.

[PomPolo]

44 minutes ago, cnx101 said:

At least he wasn’t caught having sex with a horse

You mean this is also illegal? Damn gonna have to find myself a girlfriend now!

[crazykopite]

Why hide his face 

[Foreign Jim]

He looks like he could use a sandwich, a shirt, and a shower.  Fn loser. 

[crazykopite]

His sign asks for money for food no mention of drugs that’s only hear say although it does state he is wanted in Samui maybe he will get away with it like a certain well known fugitive . When I walk into a lady bar it’s a guarantee that one of them will ask me to buy them a beer is that not begging ! Best thing is ship him back home !