16 hours ago, PPGuy said:

His story sounds a bit fishy to me.........

Wonder how he was going to be paid. Cash On Delivery?

I was forced to do it seems to be the normal answer when people are caught smuggling drugs especially young woman

I am sorry but no sympathy for this young guy and his predicament

Hope he can provide the authorities of the people who forced him to comply

In Thailand

A message needs to be sent out to others thinking of doing the same

Drugs don't pay

I am wondering whether he was carrying cannabis on his person, because suitcases are normally checked through to the final destination from Bangkok.

Claiming coercion has become a common excuse among those caught, often raised in the hope of receiving a reduced sentence due to their young age.

There is hardly a cannabis mafia forcing people into this.

The overall profit simply isn't worth it once you factor in the cost of flights, the product itself, and courier fees. Cannabis is also readily available in the UK at fairly affordable prices.

To me, this appears to be an opportunistic crime.

He was already in Thailand and saw a chance to fund his trip and make extra money by smuggling cannabis, similar in nature to cigarette smuggling from Thailand.

5 hours ago, kimamey said:

Of course you'd need to have some information about at least one family member. You wouldn't need anyone on the ground after that as the prospective courier wouldn't know anyway.

I thought that was so obvious that it didn't need explaining, but clearly I was wrong. A British man was mentioned as being involved.

If that is the case, presumably he had some contact with the criminal gang in Scotland.

If so, it’s plausible that the criminal gang is Scottish based, he’s caught up in some fishy business there (no pun intended) and flew to Thailand on their instructions, so as to acquire cannabis and transport it to Qatar.

But what does that tell you? It tells me that he is involved in or flirting on the outskirts of criminal activity in Scotland and instead of turning to the police for help, he went with the dark side.

IMHO normal people, doing normal jobs with normal social contacts don’t really come into contact with criminal gangs .

46 minutes ago, Deerculler said:

Most of you all become Judge, Jury and Executioner and you haven't a clue what you are talking about.

What a bunch of bigoted morons.

Thanks for adding so much to the conversation. Much appreciated

12 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

This doesn't make sense. Making threats against him while physically in Thailand - sure - but as soon as he left Thailand how exactly would they get to him or his family? They'd have to 1. Find out where he lives, 2. Find out who his family are to begin with, 3. Where they live, 4. After all that they would need boots on the ground in that locality. All of that to smuggle...cannabis? Nah, the more likely scenario is he was approached by someone with an offer, got convinced to do it (not threatened), and now that he's caught the backpedalling begins.

I think the threats were by Brit or immigrants in UK.

Bottom line is unless Brit police make an arrest that admit they did it he is screwed

Are there not any flights other than through countries that have huge penalties.

14 hours ago, kimamey said:

if all the warnings about getting caught were making it difficult to find couriers, I think coercion using threats, including to family members would be my first option.

It would no doubt be your first excuse if you got caught, It would probably be mine as well

18 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

I don't believe his claims that he was forced to carry the drugs

indeed , it is the standard go to excuse at the moment

"Coerced" yeah, right

A news report says he was in transit through Doha, so why did they check or open his bags, which should have been checked through to the UK?

Was he carrying it on him? If so, it would have been a very small amount, and extremely stupid of him to do, whilst transiting through Qatar.

For that small amount carried on him, threats and coercion make no sense.

I don't particularly buy the story. Kid may still have a career as a Hollywood script writer though.

Here's the thing...if "firced" to carry drugs you

1. inform your embassy

2. Inform the authorities where you depart from

3. Inform the authorities when you arrive

   This gives everyone a heads up, time to set up a sting operation, or to appear to detain you, before leaving, or on arrival.

1 hour ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Agreed, so why do smugglers do stop overs there?

Because they didn´t read BKKBike09 advice:

Qatar is a bad place to be detained, full stop.

I am often surprised that parents send their ill prepared children on these dangerous journeys, without proper supervision and training. I'm afraid this lad is in for tough times ahead !

33 minutes ago, CanadaSam said:

A news report says he was in transit through Doha, so why did they check or open his bags, which should have been checked through to the UK?

Was he carrying it on him? If so, it would have been a very small amount, and extremely stupid of him to do, whilst transiting through Qatar.

For that small amount carried on him, threats and coercion make no sense.

2 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Agreed, so why do smugglers do stop overs there?

Usually because a) they are not very smart or b) because their ticket was purchased for them, and it was the cheapest flight. Smuggling syndicates don't splash out on airfares.

2 hours ago, Upnotover said:

All these stories seems to be about Brits. Do other nationalities not partake in the same game? And I do not recall reading many/any stories of Thailand arresting these people on departure, and yet surely their outgoing baggage checks must be able to see a suitcase full of weed? I don't blame Thailand in this respect, why should they have to put up with processing them, just send a note to their destination and let them deal with it I guess.

I wonder if they let them go but give a heads up to the countries on the ticket hoping to get the actual pusher versus the mules. Also I would think ME countries are a lot stricter. I am sure there are people stopped but mostly for the harder drugs.

22 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Could it be Doha got a heads up from thI immigration

3 hours ago, Geoff914 said:

I am more concerned that any parent would allow a 17 year old to travel to Thailand unaccompanied by a responsible parent.

Can you not read? Or just another who can't be bothered to read the detail?

"The young man, who works in the fishing industry,........"

32 minutes ago, cracker1 said:

I am often surprised that parents send their ill prepared children on these dangerous journeys, without proper supervision and training. I'm afraid this lad is in for tough times ahead !

"The young man, who works in the fishing industry,..."

2 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

Could it be Doha got a heads up from thI immigration

Could be, but I have transited in Doha many times travelling from Thailand to UK from Thailand and I’ve never once seen my checked in suitcase till I arrived in the UK. And it’s the UK that would be the place to catch his contact.

could he have had it in some carry on case, security in Thailand missed it, but they caught it at Doha security?

In which case maybe the case is sneaked into the Thai airport and only given to him airside.

It’s all speculation but the only way that I can see him getting stopped in Doha rather than Thailand or until he got to the UK

Slightly off topic, but when I was 18, in the late seventies, there was no way I could have travelled to Thailand. Didn’t have the money. Also, if I had, I probably wasn’t mature enough yet to handle it and I doubt if today’s teenagers are any better. It surprises me how many very young and immature farang tourists are here these days . What could possibly go wrong?

20 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

I don't believe his claims that he was forced to carry the drugs

You don't have to believe it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Being that there are plenty of gangs here it's possible. Let's see what the cameras say. BUT, and I know he may have been scared to, why didn't he go to the police? Well, 18 is an age when you don't handle problems well or sensibly.

21 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

You don't have to believe it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Being that there are plenty of gangs here it's possible. Let's see what the cameras say. BUT, and I know he may have been scared to, why didn't he go to the police? Well, 18 is an age when you don't handle problems well or sensibly.

If he was so scared of the gang, why is he now grassing them up ?

As hes singing like canary to the Feds, the gang will be going to attack his family

Nicola, Lino's mother, argues that her son, from Drymen, Scotland, was a victim of manipulation, expressing hope that Qatari authorities will recognise that he was forced into this predicament

I beet they’re hoping that the courts fall for this story HOOK, LINE AND SINKER

A very dubious explanation for his actions

Sounds familiar to the many such excuses I was given by clients who always alleged they were "fitted up" by the police/friends/strangers etc to explain carrying knives, drugs and so on when I was based in London rather than being now in Bangkok

2 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

I think the threats were by Brit or immigrants in UK.

Bottom line is unless Brit police make an arrest that admit they did it he is screwed

Are there not any flights other than through countries that have huge penalties.

Of course there are, KLM, Air France, Norse Atlantic, BA etc

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

A somewhat sensationalist piece of journalism, still with no mention of the amount of cannabis involved.

The young man, who works in the fishing industry, asserts that criminals coerced him into carrying the package.

BS... no-one coerces you to do anything... if or when you get to the airport you ask for help.

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.