British man, accused of drug dealing, arrested in Phuket

[Ebumbu]

If you're going to take life-ending risks for money, do it for 1-2 years, get your money, and get out. Live humbly and be inconspicuous. Set a specific money goal ($2M). No luxury villas. Disappear out of the country when done. Never return. 

[luckymitchell]

25 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

It can actually be a death sentence rather than a life sentence, but nowadays Thailand tends to commute to a life sentence. I believe that in places like Malaysia and Singapore one could receive the death penalty for as little as an ounce of illict drugs, 'possession with intent to supply' just because it's more than a certain amount, Anyone who deals drugs in this part of the world is incredibly stupid, they have a massive illicit drugs problem, and have triple the prison population of the UK, for a similar general population, this is disproportionately made up of drug-offenders.

He fled from charges in the UK.

[proton]

3 hours ago, Rocking Robert said:

I always wonder how many lives and families have been Destroyed by those drugs

 

Nobody is forced to take drugs, people destroy their own lifes.

[Andrew65]

Just now, luckymitchell said:

He fled from charges in the UK.

Probably already involved in drugs in Thailand though?

[Korat Kiwi]

50 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

 

How about his full name?

 

 

It sounds like he was already deported/extradited?

 

Mr. Ben, a 28-year-old British national, a drug trafficking suspect in the UK who was arrested in Phuket Province, has been transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport for interrogation and preparation for extradition back to the UK on September 2, 2024.... อ่านข่าวต้นฉบับได้ที่ : https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/crime-crime/2024/09/02/british-fugitive-flees-uk-found-to-be-boxer-in-phuket-luxury/

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/crime-crime/2024/09/02/british-fugitive-flees-uk-found-to-be-boxer-in-phuket-luxury/

 

 

No checked baggage I guess?

 

 

I hope they give him a blanket on the plane or he'll freeze to death before he gets to the UK!

[Nicholas Paul KNIGHT]

Convicted drug dealer who escaped to avoid justice, sorry serves him right. Nice to see The Police interaction,. sad it did not work the other way around . 

[nakhonandy]

12 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Probably already involved in drugs in Thailand though?

Why?

He didn't need the money and was evading British justice here, he wouldn't want to attract police attention. 

 

It would be interesting to know how long he was living in Thailand. 

 

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Why do you care about the Red Bull Boss?

it was a cop that died, Boss paid the family off, they accepted it as is normal and acceptable here. 
And it was an accident, he did not intend to kill the cop who was out of his car on the motorway at night.

Ben was intentionally breaking the law to enrich himself.

 

Huge difference

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Mr. Ben, who had fled England after being sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking offences.

Quote

Vorayuth avoided further legal action by consistently failing to meet with prosecutors, while continuing for years to live a jet-set life. By the time prosecutors finally issued an arrest warrant in April 2017, Vorayuth had fled abroad, where he remains. It is reported that his whereabouts include London.

That "difference" is not so huge, both avoided prison by fleeing abroad, one from London to Bangkok, the other from Bangkok to London...

 

[Taboo2]

Great idea to come to Thailand dude.....55555.

 

You think they would not find you?  

[Andrew65]

9 minutes ago, nakhonandy said:

Why?

He didn't need the money and was evading British justice here, he wouldn't want to attract police attention. 

 

It would be interesting to know how long he was living in Thailand. 

 

Leopards/spots. I used to know an American guy who by his own admission used to 'sling dope' in Phillie. I strongly suspected he was doing the same to support his (heroin) habit in Thailand. Working as an English teacher.

[mokwit]

4 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Great idea to come to Thailand dude.....55555.

 

You think they would not find you?  

Didn't know about TM30 filing.

[Andrew65]

7 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Great idea to come to Thailand dude.....55555.

 

You think they would not find you?  

Many years ago I talked to a guy in Bangkok who was working for the Australian Federal Police, and who I think was on such a mission.

Edited September 3 by Andrew65

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, Andrew65 said:

Many years ago I talked to a guy in Bangkok who was working for the Australian Federal Police, and who I think was on such a mission.

There used to be one here in Phuket years ago, 

[Patong2021]

3 hours ago, luckymitchell said:

Still not heard of a life sentence for that

 

The devil s in the details. A life sentence is not what you would believe it to be 🫢  If the statement had been a minimum of 10 years, would you believe it, because that's what it the time to be served probably was.

 

In the UK, there is whole life, life, and indeterminate, subject to periods of incarceration called tariffs penal sentences.

- A whole life order means you will never be released from prison, except in exceptional compassionate circumstances.

- An indeterminate prison sentence does not have a fixed length of time. The sentencing judge will set a minimum period of time to be served  (called a ‘tariff’) before the prisoner is considered for release by the Parole Board.  Indeterminate sentences are given for serious offenders (usually violent repeat offenders) who are a danger to the public. 

- A life sentence typically comes with a minimum incarceration period, e.g. 10 years. The parole board will then consider releasing the prisoner on "license".

 

In the UK  Class A drug  production and selling offences come with a "life" penalty.

[Andrew65]

7 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

There used to be one here in Phuket years ago, 

Many years ago there were loads of DEA people from the States in Thailand. An old pot-smoking American friend was seriously worried about this. But as one of our funny, mutual American friends used to say to him "I don't think they're looking for some dude with a joint in his pocket, they're looking for the big guys". The guy in question had what I suspected was like a drug-induced paranoia.

Edited September 3 by Andrew65

[AndreasHG]

4 hours ago, luckymitchell said:

I've not heard of a life sentence for selling drugs before either. Some misreporting there I would imagine

Drugs penalties - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) See Class A

[norfolkandchance]

I wonder who grassed him up.

[TimBKK]

2 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

I wonder who grassed him up.

Whoever it was should be applauded.

[nakhonandy]

7 minutes ago, AndreasHG said:

Drugs penalties - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) See Class A

Yeah, that's the legal maximum. 

 

Nobody ever gets life though.

The usual for class A is 8 to 15 years and then they'll only do two thirds.

[RonJr]

If I'm handed down a life sentence and managed to make it to Phuket (the last place you go to avoid a drug sentence)!!

 

I would be crossing Myanmar or Laos border along a porus river as fast as I touched down, using trains or cheap motorbike in cash and then blend into the mountains or something as a Buddhist monk and make sure to keep local officials happy if you ever meet any. 

 

 

[MalcolmB]

53 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

 

That "difference" is not so huge, both avoided prison by fleeing abroad, one from London to Bangkok, the other from Bangkok to London...

 

I would do the same.

Prison rape is not up there on my to do list

[Captain Monday]

2 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

 

How about his full name?

 

 

It sounds like he was already deported/extradited?

 

Mr. Ben, a 28-year-old British national, a drug trafficking suspect in the UK who was arrested in Phuket Province, has been transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport for interrogation and preparation for extradition back to the UK on September 2, 2024.... อ่านข่าวต้นฉบับได้ที่ : https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/crime-crime/2024/09/02/british-fugitive-flees-uk-found-to-be-boxer-in-phuket-luxury/

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/crime-crime/2024/09/02/british-fugitive-flees-uk-found-to-be-boxer-in-phuket-luxury/

 

 

No checked baggage I guess?

 

 

 

Back in the day Captains would deny boarding to the flip-flop and backpack crowd I mean who gets on a plane looking like that?

 

The embassy couldn't find him a pair of trousers a collared shirt and some socks from a thrift shop?

Edited September 3 by Captain Monday

[John Drake]

Tattoos 

[luckymitchell]

48 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

The devil s in the details. A life sentence is not what you would believe it to be 🫢  If the statement had been a minimum of 10 years, would you believe it, because that's what it the time to be served probably was.

 

In the UK, there is whole life, life, and indeterminate, subject to periods of incarceration called tariffs penal sentences.

- A whole life order means you will never be released from prison, except in exceptional compassionate circumstances.

- An indeterminate prison sentence does not have a fixed length of time. The sentencing judge will set a minimum period of time to be served  (called a ‘tariff’) before the prisoner is considered for release by the Parole Board.  Indeterminate sentences are given for serious offenders (usually violent repeat offenders) who are a danger to the public. 

- A life sentence typically comes with a minimum incarceration period, e.g. 10 years. The parole board will then consider releasing the prisoner on "license".

 

In the UK  Class A drug  production and selling offences come with a "life" penalty.

I am fully aware how the uk court and prison system work.

A life sentence is unheard of for drug supply.

 

However, since my comment it is clear this was misreporting by AN, the guy hasn't been given a life sentence at all. Its not even clear if he was even sentenced in his absence.

[n00dle]

With man boobs like that, I suspect Mr Billy was a retired rather than active boxer. 

[Liverpool Lou]

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Mr. Ben, who had fled England after being sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking offences.

Suspected of, not convicted or sentenced for, offences that carry a life sentence.

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, luckymitchell said:

5 hours ago, mokwit said:

Wholesaling Class A, Heroin and Cocaine.

Still not heard of a life sentence for that

The fact that you haven't heard of it doesn't mean that it isn't the case for supplying!

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

What is the time police and the British police are working so closely together I’ll come. They haven’t brought back the Red Bull kid. He’s been in London many times TIT.

British police are under no obligation to act on an Interpol advisory notice.

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, Dublin14 said:

lock the scumbag up for life in the grand Bangkok Hilton!

What for?  What has he been convicted of in Thailand?  What has he been convicted of in the UK, come to that?

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, khunjeff said:

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Mr. Ben...had fled England after being sentenced to life imprisonment

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

After his conviction, he escaped to Thailand

 

How on earth was he out and about after being convicted and handed a life sentence? 

Despite the OP, he was not convicted and sentenced, he was wanted as a suspect.