Accused Aust Drug Smuggler Faces Bangkok Court

[churchill]

Two Thai police officers have given evidence in a Bangkok court against an Australian man who attempted to smuggle more than three kilograms of heroin into Australia last year.

Andrew Hood, 37, a former storeman from the Sydney suburb of Annandale, was arrested at Bangkok airport in December.

Hood was arrested by customs officials as he made his way to the departure lounge.

In court today, photos were produced showing bags of heroin taped to his body.

Reports say the heroin had an estimated street value of 12 million baht ($480,000).

In an earlier hearing in May, Hood, fearing the death penalty, pleaded guilty to the charges.

But he is unlikely to be given the death penalty.

He told the court in May there was "no way I'm fighting this one. You can't win. I've been informed by plenty of people."

A verdict is expected on August 5.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/13/2624735.htm

[webfact]

Some additional information

heres a link Andrew Hood

[Maizefarmer]

Sorry .. I have little to no sympathy for him - of all people, he was one of them and knew the damage/destruction the stuff does.

[dbrenn]

Sorry .. I have little to no sympathy for him - of all people, he was one of them and knew the damage/destruction the stuff does.

Right. Heroin is ghastly and ruins lives. He took his chances knowing what would happen if he got caught. Serves him right.

Wait for the howls of protest in the Aussie press. They always seem to side with Aussies who break the law abroad, demanding that they be freed, regardless of the circumstances.

[Livinginexile]

He's stuffed!

He'll get life.

[kimincm]

Two Thai police officers have given evidence in a Bangkok court against an Australian man who attempted to smuggle more than three kilograms of heroin into Australia last year.

Andrew Hood, 37, a former storeman from the Sydney suburb of Annandale, was arrested at Bangkok airport in December.

Hood was arrested by customs officials as he made his way to the departure lounge.

In court today, photos were produced showing bags of heroin taped to his body.

Reports say the heroin had an estimated street value of 12 million baht ($480,000).

In an earlier hearing in May, Hood, fearing the death penalty, pleaded guilty to the charges.

But he is unlikely to be given the death penalty.

He told the court in May there was "no way I'm fighting this one. You can't win. I've been informed by plenty of people."

A verdict is expected on August 5.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/13/2624735.htm

"no way i"m fighting this one" a bit hard,I'm Australian,serves you right.

[Jaydillon]

What a terrible thing to have happen to a good-natured lad

[lioness]

What a terrible thing to have happen to a good-natured lad

What a utterly stupid comment, nothing happened to him. What has happened he has bought on himself.

And he will pay the price I hope. Nothing good natured about his actions.

[Bagwan]

What a terrible thing to have happen to a good-natured lad

What a utterly stupid comment, nothing happened to him. What has happened he has bought on himself.

And he will pay the price I hope. Nothing good natured about his actions.

Do you not understand sarcasm?

[pattaya_girl]

What a very silly man, and he had planned it to have strapped it to his body in pouches.

As if he really thought he would get away with it.

[verydumbubba]

The Australian Depressed

Bubba

[RKASA]

How can he walk around the airport with that stuff, he must have used half of it before he got there just to stay calm.

[jonclark]

3 kg of Heroin, not cheap - Wonder where and from who he bought that little packet from in Thailand. I'm sure he's singing like a bird in prison. Do you think the BiB will be acting on any information?? He obviously isn't a one man cartel, you don't go from 'store man to international trafficker with 12 million baht of heroin unless someone is pay rolling you

Be nice to see this drugs ring smashed with the aussie buyer and probable Thai supplier caught, which would have more effect in the overall supply of drugs than catching the courier.

[Hawk]

I suppose yet another book will hit the shops soon about life inside a Thai jail.

[webfact]

I suppose yet another book will hit the shops soon about life inside a Thai jail.

co-produced by Warren Fellows....

Edited July 14, 2009 by webfact

[geriatrickid]

3 kg of Heroin, not cheap - Wonder where and from who he bought that little packet from in Thailand. I'm sure he's singing like a bird in prison. Do you think the BiB will be acting on any information?? He obviously isn't a one man cartel, you don't go from 'store man to international trafficker with 12 million baht of heroin unless someone is pay rolling you

Be nice to see this drugs ring smashed with the aussie buyer and probable Thai supplier caught, which would have more effect in the overall supply of drugs than catching the courier.

well said.

[sk1max]

Can you think of anything worse than life in a Thai jail? And this twit still tries it. He must be up for a Darwin award!

[Sisaketmike]

Two Thai police officers have given evidence in a Bangkok court against an Australian man who attempted to smuggle more than three kilograms of heroin into Australia last year.

Andrew Hood, 37, a former storeman from the Sydney suburb of Annandale, was arrested at Bangkok airport in December.

Hood was arrested by customs officials as he made his way to the departure lounge.

In court today, photos were produced showing bags of heroin taped to his body.

Reports say the heroin had an estimated street value of 12 million baht ($480,000).

In an earlier hearing in May, Hood, fearing the death penalty, pleaded guilty to the charges.

But he is unlikely to be given the death penalty.

He told the court in May there was "no way I'm fighting this one. You can't win. I've been informed by plenty of people."

A verdict is expected on August 5.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/13/2624735.htm

Hi there. I know that there's a big problem. People who might think that a life sentence would be too much? I came to Thailand seven years ago and all i've heard a lot of bad news from Europe. A lot of people in my age died overdosed. I'll never forget when I saw my country the last time and I was trying to call a friend who was heroin addicted. I helped her before to find a place to become clean. When I called her, her mom picked up..just to tell me that she died overdosed. She was only 23 years old.

[reallyok]

3 kg of Heroin, not cheap - Wonder where and from who he bought that little packet from in Thailand. I'm sure he's singing like a bird in prison. Do you think the BiB will be acting on any information?? He obviously isn't a one man cartel, you don't go from 'store man to international trafficker with 12 million baht of heroin unless someone is pay rolling you

Be nice to see this drugs ring smashed with the aussie buyer and probable Thai supplier caught, which would have more effect in the overall supply of drugs than catching the courier.

Awwww! C'mon JON, the man was just a mule ...........wake up !

[cyborg22]

Deserves all he is going to get, The death penalty is too good for the likes of him. Better to rot in jail for rest of his life.

[luvU2much500THB]

Deserves all he is going to get, The death penalty is too good for the likes of him. Better to rot in jail for rest of his life.

no one deserves to exist in such terrible conditions... NO ONE!

[maxjay]

What a very silly man, and he had planned it to have strapped it to his body in pouches.

As if he really thought he would get away with it.

If you are interested in the idiots travel attire, have a look here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Australian-D...5&start=425

It's no wonder he got busted looking the way he did.

[fugazi]

desperation, depression etc make many people act, chose or deside badly. Drugs do the same, but over opinionated compassionless people have no excuss, some people have no cure but insist on spreading the desease. I for one hope you all feel better now you've aired your angst

[webfact]

Deserves all he is going to get, The death penalty is too good for the likes of him. Better to rot in jail for rest of his life.

no one deserves to exist in such terrible conditions... NO ONE!

I agree with you.

But he should have been aware of what treat will be in store for him if get busted in Thailand!

Edited July 15, 2009 by webfact

[marsteele]

Sorry .. I have little to no sympathy for him - of all people, he was one of them and knew the damage/destruction the stuff does.

Right. Heroin is ghastly and ruins lives. He took his chances knowing what would happen if he got caught. Serves him right.

Wait for the howls of protest in the Aussie press. They always seem to side with Aussies who break the law abroad, demanding that they be freed, regardless of the circumstances.

As an Aussie I say let him rot in a thai prison. I guess there is one Aussie who will not side with him

[F4UCorsair]

No Sympathy!! He knew the rules and chose to 'have a go'. Busted, and life in a Thai gaol. Sure, there are those who say that NO ONE deserves life in a Thai gaol, but no one deserves the misery he was going to serve upon them with what he was carrying He chose to short circuit the system and potentially make a lot of money without working honestly.

Judging somebody on appearances is never good, but if ever someone wanted to attract police attention, it was this goose with his exposed tatts. It's like an idiot dong burnouts outside the police station; a beacon to the cops, saying "Come and arrest me for....something/anything," and they did.

This guy didn't make a 'mistake'; he wilfully broke the law, in full knowledge of the dire consequences and deserves the punishment about to be handed down to him. Australian passports covers have the warning clearly on them, so no excuses.

He had a choice, and he blew it. Once again, NO SYMPATHY.

Edited July 28, 2009 by F4UCorsair

[harleyclarkey]

Deserves all he is going to get, The death penalty is too good for the likes of him. Better to rot in jail for rest of his life.

no one deserves to exist in such terrible conditions... NO ONE!

I agree with you.

But he should have been aware of what treat will be in store for him if get busted in Thailand!

Also agree.

OK....he has to accept his sentence for breaking the law.....and this idiot and peddler of death and destruction did break it. But you don't keep humans in conditions that are unfit for an animal in any civilised society.

[F4UCorsair]

harley clarkey,

Along with knowing he was seriously breaking the law, this idiot must know something of the conditions in Thai gaols. There has been enough printed about those conditions over the years for one to know that even if only 10% is true, a Thai gaol is not the place to be spending any time, let alone your life.

But he went ahead, and trafficked heroin, knowing at worst, there was a fair chance he'd end his time on the end of a rope (or whatever method the Thais for execution), or at best, in a Thai gaol. Surely this halfwit could rationalize the consequences of what he was embarking upon and I'm sure he did, but was blinded by the bulk $$$ he stood to make out of others' misery and potentially their deaths. In short, he didn't care about anybody but himself.

Gaol sentences are to punish criminals, and make no mistake, this is one of the worst possible crimes. If a person murders another, one person is dead, but we would never know how many deaths this prick would have caused if he'd managed to get this through with his awful cargo.

Prisons shouldn't be holiday camps with TV's and other luxuries as they are here in Australia. They should be tough, and I mean really tough, so tough that nobody would ever want to go there, not even as a visitor.

If the decision was mine, a life sentence wouldn't be an option; too expensive to the state, and not as sufficient a deterrent as execution. As the Chinese Emperor Qing said, "Kill one, frighten a thousand".

Once again, NO SYMPATHY. You play the game, you take the knocks.

Edited July 29, 2009 by F4UCorsair

[jacobbells]

Two Thai police officers have given evidence in a Bangkok court against an Australian man who attempted to smuggle more than three kilograms of heroin into Australia last year.

Andrew Hood, 37, a former storeman from the Sydney suburb of Annandale, was arrested at Bangkok airport in December.

Hood was arrested by customs officials as he made his way to the departure lounge.

In court today, photos were produced showing bags of heroin taped to his body.

Reports say the heroin had an estimated street value of 12 million baht ($480,000).

In an earlier hearing in May, Hood, fearing the death penalty, pleaded guilty to the charges.

But he is unlikely to be given the death penalty.

He told the court in May there was "no way I'm fighting this one. You can't win. I've been informed by plenty of people."

A verdict is expected on August 5.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/13/2624735.htm

The guy is innocent - the victim here is all part of the police airport extortion scam.

Hood had nothing on him when he was going through customs, all those photos used as evidence were not him. They are all a photo-shop job, same goes for the recorded tv pictures, they are fake.

The police mistook Andrew Hook for another Andrew J Hood who had been staying at five-star accommodation in Bangkok and bragging of recently inheriting his father's small fortune.

Receiving a tip-off to the wealth of Andrew J Hood the police arrested the wrong Andrew Hood and handed him over to a Sri Lankan 'Tony'. Tony advised Hood that he has the 13rd person this week to be arrested for smuggling drugs via the airport but for 3.5 million baht he would be let off scot-free. Unfortunately, this Andrew Hood doesn't have a dollar to his name and the police could do nothing but send him over the courts with the fabricated evidence.

According to reports, this police drugs airport extortion scam preys on an average of 60 innocent foregners a month.

Petition your local OZ MP now - Andrew is an innocent victim.

Edited July 29, 2009 by jacobbells

[sunholidaysun1]

He Is the problem , he made the problem now he must deal with his problem, Tough Shi*.

Give him a needle and a few grams , that will solve his problem .