Dutchman Wanted By Norway Arrested In Thailand

[sriracha john]

Smeding: Detained at request of Norway

A Dutchman who had fled to Thailand to escape drug trafficking charges was yesterday captured in the Chon Buri resort town of Pattaya. Johannes Cornelis Smeding, 50, was arrested in Pattaya by immigration police. The suspect has been charged with colluding with 38 suspects in smuggling 300 kg of cannabis into Norway. Of the suspects, 26 had earlier been arrested. The arrest of the suspect was made at the request of Norwegian authorities, said Immigration Bureau Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit. Smeding had entered Thailand soon after fleeing Norway in 2006. He married a northeastern woman and bought a 10-million-baht house in Pattaya, which he used as

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/270908_News/27Sep2008_news05.php

[roamer]

38 suspects, a really tight knit group then .Actually apart from his Pattaya hideout I wonder how this is Thai related, I think it would pretty much be a first if Thai grass had been reduced to cannbais resin here ?

[geriatrickid]

He's lucky the coppers snagged him. If the fashion police got to him first with his crappy tats, he'd be sentenced to feeding peeled grapes to Karl Lagerfeld.

I'm sure his Thai companion knows where the cash is, so she'll be ok.

[sriracha john]

Anyone in the bar business recognize him??

Drug gang suspect arrested

BANGKOK - Thai immigration police have arrested a Dutchman suspected of being the ringleader of a gang which smuggled drugs into Norway, a police official said on Friday.

Johannes Cornelis Smeding, 50, was detained on Thursday afternoon in the seaside resort of Pattaya, which is notorious for crime and prostitution.

He and 38 other Dutch and Norwegian suspects are alleged to have smuggled 300 kilograms of marijuana and other drugs into Norway in April 2006. So far 26 alleged members of the gang have been arrested.

"He will be extradited to Norway soon as he faces no charges in Thailand," Colonel Manad Sriwongsa, of Thai immigration police, said.

Col. Manad said Smeding had entered Thailand soon after fleeing Norway in 2006.

He married a Thai woman and had set up a bar business in Pattaya, Col. Manad said.

- AFP / 2008-09-26

[harrry]

Anyone in the bar business recognize him??

He married a Thai woman and had set up a bar business in Pattaya, Col. Manad said.

- AFP / 2008-09-26

After sitting through the low season at least they could have let him earn his lawyers fees in the high.

[khon kaen boy]

Obviously laying low with a 10 million baht house

[PoorSucker]

Holland is amazing.

The only country in the world where you can smoke pot legally in a "coffee shop" but gets fined if you smoke a cigarette.

[sriracha john]

Dutch Drug Suspect Detained In Pattaya At Request Of Norway

A Dutchman who had fled to Thailand to escape drug trafficking charges in Normay was yesterday captured in the Chon Buri resort town of Pattaya.

Johannes Cornelis Smeding, 50, was arrested in Pattaya by immigration police. The suspect has been charged with colluding with 38 suspects in smuggling 300 kg of cannabis into Norway. Of the suspects, 26 had earlier been arrested.

The arrest of the suspect was made at the request of Norwegian authorities, said Immigration Bureau Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit.

Mr Smeding had entered Thailand soon after fleeing Norway in 2006.

He married a northeastern woman and bought a 10-million-baht house in Pattaya, which he used as his hideout.

- ScandAsia / 2008-09-27

[Scott]

I think his profits are up in smoke!

[balo]

Welcome to the Norwegian prison.

I wish Thailand could keep him for lifetime in prison .

With good behaviour in a Norwegian prison he'll be out within 6 years.

[LaoPo]

Holland is amazing.

The only country in the world where you can smoke pot legally in a "coffee shop" but gets fined if you smoke a cigarette.

That's not entirely correct -anymore- and Court will decide, soon.

A young guy is going to court now since he got (wrongly) fined by a policeman in a 'coffeeshop' for smoking a 100% pot-joint.

Smoking TOBACCO is now illegal everywhere in bars, restaurants and 'coffeeshops' also, but the law does not forbid smoking a 100% cannabis-joint in a 'coffeeshop', which is not tobacco. A mixture -of cannabis/tobacco- though is not allowed. Maybe strange but true and that's why the policeman wrongly fined the guy; but let Court decide. Intersting to see the outcome though.

It's illegal to import, trade or grow cannabis (and other drugs of course) but the -declining- number of 'coffeeshops' are -legally- allowed to have a maximum storage of, I believe, 500 grams for normal sales to clients but each client (again, I believe) can't buy more than a small plastic bag with 2, 3 or 5 grams at a time depending on the quality and origin; But I'm not quite sure; would have to look it up. One can also buy ready-made joints or a piece of so called space-cake. It's obligatory now (I believe...again) to show an ID before buying (age control) weed.

Smoking pot is widely accepted in Holland and nobody makes a big deal out of it although it's hardly seen or noticed in the streets. Most of the time people smoke a joint at home and not in the 'coffeeshops'; just tourists to Amsterdam and other touristic places.

Cannabis is considered less dangerous than alcohol in Holland and youngsters consuming alcohol cause much more problems, uproar, fights etc. than people who smoke an occasional joint.

Apart from that, 300 Kgs of Cannabis is not even big news in Holland. If one is busted he probably gets no more than 1 or 2 years (likely less) but Norway is a different cookie as the prices are sky high in that country and the penalties are severe.

This chap is not very fortunate since he's busted in Thailand and will be extradited to Norway; bad luck for him but if you play with fire in the wrong countries you might get burned as he found out.

LaoPo

[allexx]

Welcome to the Norwegian prison.

I wish Thailand could keep him for lifetime in prison .

With good behaviour in a Norwegian prison he'll be out within 6 years.

Norwegian prison...

3 stars hotel, single cell, own television and so on... his lucky guy

[balo]

Its was a lot more than 300kg , according to the Norwegian newspaper VG it was several thousand kg Cannabis and also Heroin .

VG story

Still I'm afraid he will be out of prison after only a few years.

Apart from that, 300 Kgs of Cannabis is not even big news in Holland. If one is busted he probably gets no more than 1 or 2 years (likely less) but Norway is a different cookie as the prices are sky high in that country and the penalties are severe.

This chap is not very fortunate since he's busted in Thailand and will be extradited to Norway; bad luck for him but if you play with fire in the wrong countries you might get burned as he found out.

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

Its was a lot more than 300kg , according to the Norwegian newspaper VG it was several thousand kg Cannabis and also Heroin .

If he was doing heroin they better give him life imprisonment in Thailand.

LaoPo

[Master Chief]

Thai MIB BIB and mobs will be after the Thai wife to collude money from her, her life will not be so easy here after.

[sriracha john]

Its was a lot more than 300kg , according to the Norwegian newspaper VG it was several thousand kg Cannabis and also Heroin.

VG story

Still I'm afraid he will be out of prison after only a few years.

Thank you for that... would you please translate some of the details in that report for us?

The online translator returns just garbled text.

[sniffdog]

Pattaya always has been the playground of Holland's underworld .... It's usual their final stop through either natural dead, arrest or murder.

[sriracha john]

in the seaside resort of Pattaya, which is notorious for crime and prostitution.

Pattaya always has been the playground of Holland's underworld ....

It's the playground of the World...

[balo]

Thank you for that... would you please translate some of the details in that report for us?

The online translator returns just garbled text.

Ok I can try to translate some of it , sorry for any spelling mistakes:

A 50 year old dutchman was arrested in Pattaya thursday afternoon.

He's the gang leader behind the biggest drug gang in Norway, smuggling several thousand kgs of drugs into Norway. This is the biggest drug case in Norway.

According to Manad Sriwongsa at the Thai immigration office he will be deported to Norway soon.

The Norwegian police worked closely with Belgian and the Dutch police and 8. June 2006 most of the gang members was arrested in a raid.

The 50 year old dutchman escaped and moved to Thailand a month later.

He married a thai girl and started to run a bar business in Pattaya .

The police sent out an international warrant for the man in January 2007, and they suspected that he was living in Thailand.

-Our communication with the Thai police have been excellent and finally it gave us results this week.-

43 people have been charged in this big case, the police believe a 31 year old Morrocan Mourad El Machouri was in charge of the drug smuggled into Norway. In June this year he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

[sriracha john]

Thank you very much for that, balo....

It helps put things into perspective better.

Your spelling is just fine, btw....

[bartender100]

Looks like he's about to bust out crying

[justnbangkok]

Holland is amazing.

The only country in the world where you can smoke pot legally in a "coffee shop" but gets fined if you smoke a cigarette.

Not anymore. The Dutch Parliament passed a law criminalizing marijuana. Recent reports on BBC reports that up to 70 percent of the hash bars in amsterdam have been shut down by the police. It's now illegal.

[LaoPo]

Holland is amazing.

The only country in the world where you can smoke pot legally in a "coffee shop" but gets fined if you smoke a cigarette.

Not anymore. The Dutch Parliament passed a law criminalizing marijuana. Recent reports on BBC reports that up to 70 percent of the hash bars in amsterdam have been shut down by the police. It's now illegal.

That's not correct.

LaoPo