Beware Police At Ekkamai Bus Station

[sunreader]

its an "us and them " thing,..they are out to rip foreigners off, full stop,...

No it's not.

If a Thai guy was caught with illegal drugs, do you think he would walk away ?

No, of course not, but his "drink" will have been a lot less ,Il say it one more time for the hard of hearing,,,,,,its a them and us thing, and dual pricing at its best,..let me ask you, would you have paid the 15k ? ,

If it was a choice between being prosecuted under Thai Law, or paying a bribe ?

I'd pay.

Would I have bargained with the Police Officers, yes, I'm quite sure the offending Farang paid too much, but then again, he should not have anything illegal on him in the first place.

It don't really matter what drugs he had on him, if it's illegal, it's illegal, so a price has to be paid.

He got off lightly, I would have asked him for 50,000 Baht if I were a Thai cop.

But Viagra isn't illegal, so your wrong.

So in Thailand anyone carrying any prescription drugs must also always carry the written prescription with them?....really?...in the Uk you have to hand the prescription to the chemist in order to get the drugs, are you allowed to keep the prescription then in Thaland?....what if your bringing prescribed drugs into Thailand from the UK?....how can you show the prescription when you will not have one?

[lensta]

.Once again we have a farang breaking the law by buying illegally, a prescription drug and transporting it around the country then whining about the fact he has been saved from prison by police relieving him of money. far from it giving the Thai police a bad image it to me gives the tourists visiting the Country a bad image. Like the farang crying foul for having to pay the police money for not wearing the required crash helmet ? It would be a different story if they had planted the viagra on your friend but they didn't. Your friend has learnt a valuable lesson and needs to think himself lucky I think!

Could you please tell me where the <deleted> it says he bought the viagra without a presciption or illegally.

[dddave]

I had a similar incident at Ekkamai one year ago and was shaken down for B10,000. I was a little more vulnerable because the police found a long forgotten VALIUM tablet in one of my backpack pockets and that is a class 4 narcotic.

I wrote about the incident (Warning: Ekkamai Shakedown!) on several local forums and it was picked up by Stickman. Like you, I got a lot of support and a lot of criticism.

Many reply's reported similar shakedowns over the years at Ekkamai; it has been going on for a long, long time. There is a clear profile: older farang most likely to be carrying Viagra or similar varieties.

[SpoliaOpima]

Exactly, when they see a farang they see $$ signs, and as long as these guys keep handing over 15000 baht the word will get about and it can only get worse,.

Until Farangs learn to live by the laws of the land.

Exactly. Like I wrote earlier, I've been searched twice, and released because I wasn't breaking any laws.

[syd barrett]

I had a similar incident at Ekkamai one year ago and was shaken down for B10,000. I was a little more vulnerable because the police found a long forgotten VALIUM tablet in one of my backpack pockets and that is a class 4 narcotic.

For one Valium tablet; how did they KNOW it was diazapam? You should have stood your ground and said it was prescribed by your home-country Doctor for anxiety.

[frankthetank]

you not worry, lady not need see receipt, she will know you have viagra, very soon"!

So Frank you were served by Yoda?

You been to the same chemist then??

Short guy, big ears!!

[Thighlander]

In 1998, I had just arrived at Ekami bus station from Pataya. Two or three cops aproached me as I was near the edge of the bus station property. They grabbed my bag and sat it on the table. They started slowly going through it. I grabbed the bag and just dumped it all out in front of them. That seemed to satisfy them. It was profiling for sure. They do it in America, too.

Thailand is absolutely the wrong place to be traveling with weed or whatever.

[mca]

you not worry, lady not need see receipt, she will know you have viagra, very soon"!

So Frank you were served by Yoda?

You been to the same chemist then??

Short guy, big ears!!

No that's Noddy's best mate. He runs the 7-11 just down the street from Yoda.

[syd barrett]

In 1998, I had just arrived at Ekami bus station from Pataya. Two or three cops aproached me as I was near the edge of the bus station property. They grabbed my bag and sat it on the table. They started slowly going through it. I grabbed the bag and just dumped it all out in front of them. That seemed to satisfy them. It was profiling for sure. They do it in America, too.

Thailand is absolutely the wrong place to be traveling with weed or whatever.

Did they take you back to the station for the 'rubber glove' treatment?

[garycm]

I believe they let us go because they think we “know too much” as they say here.

No, they let you go because you had nothing illegal on you.

But imodium IS legal. They found it in my bag and said is was amphetamine same spot same scam on Ekamai coming from Samet.

[Beacher]

This will be good, i cant wait for captain magoo to come galloping over the hill to defend the thai cops,,,,,,,,,! oops, dunc beat him to it !

Honestly, it gets to the point of absurd how there's a certain core of members who seem to actually believe that Thailand is absolutely perfect. To step in and defend the police in this situation is just plain STRANGE. I'm becoming convinced that these hardcore members of the "Thailand is Perfect" brigade must have burnt bridges so badly in their home countries and (and all the rest?) that Thailand is their only option, so by constantly jumping in here to defend it (often to the point of ridiculous) it makes them feel better. Really, that's the only logical explanation I can come up with for people whose glasses are so rose-colored that they can't see what's actually going on around them. Blissful souls, they are. LOL

Edited October 12, 2009 by Beacher

[MJo]

But Viagra isn't illegal, so your wrong.

So in Thailand anyone carrying any prescription drugs must also always carry the written prescription with them?....really?...in the Uk you have to hand the prescription to the chemist in order to get the drugs, are you allowed to keep the prescription then in Thaland?....what if your bringing prescribed drugs into Thailand from the UK?....how can you show the prescription when you will not have one?

Get it from any hospital in Thailand and you have a label in the box stating your name and doc's who wrote the prescription... In fact most of europe you get the sticker always, even if prescribed by small clinic and bought separately. But that's most of europe, not sure on the remote islands...

To the topic, these coppers can smell sheep miles away. As someone said, profiling to pick up the possible druggies is used as well as profiling is used to select those to pay for their karaoke party later on...

Seems OP just got scared, he could have gone to the station and maybe get few hundred fine but most likely they would have let him go as they do not like the paperwork...

Method i have used previously with the coppers wanting to fine you 2,000 by smoking in the street or disposing your ciggie at street is simple. They give you the same treatment about going to station, getting big ticket and whatever and then comes the "we can go and pay for you" story. Asking anything between 200 to 2000 on the spot. At this point i'm lighting up second one and offer one for the boys in brown as well, negotiate it down to 200 to 400 but after a while decide to take the ticket anyways. They then reluctantly proceed writing the ticket and once they are almost done i usually change my mind and pay them the already negotiated 200 and walk away.... Next time i was walking past smoking, half of them were smiling and couple of them looked bit pissed. Especially the one who had to write the A4 size small print ticket for nothing....

[SoiGirlHunter]

I got a crazy question! Where do you find all the Thai Laws documented???????????????????????

[bifftastic]

I will break this down for the people wading in the shallow end of the gene pool. It is a play on the thai word "ไม่ โกหก" (mai-go-hok) which means "to not lie".

Thanks for pointing out which end of the gene pool i'm wading in, obviously there's a genetic reason for me not being aware that "ไม่ โกหก" was being used as a screen name and the subtleties, or otherwise, of it's use.

[sanook2me]

I have only ever been stopped and searched arriving from Pattaya at that bus station. This was in 2001.

I had nothing to declare and after deep pocket searching and bag search they let me go, no fine no nothing..just a move along sir.

Now with a lot more farangs here and drugs readily available and Pattaya/Phuket/Islands being at the centre of it doesn't it make sense for the BiB to stop and search there?

When i lived in Exeter England there is 1 motorway in and out and the police regularly stopped known drug cars or suspicious cars and find huge quantities being transported... funny no one claims its a scam there..... very weird peoples perspective in Thailand.

Do something illegal ( or semi as in not sure but i'll do it anyway and then scream scam if caught)

Pay the fine or do the time and stop your moaning because you got caught...would you friend have posted this if not caught.

I smuggled past the police what could be a controlled substance be careful at the bus station as fines are severe, i got lucky this time!

[bendejo]

I believe that to posess viagra legally in Thailand you had to have a prescription form a urologist not just a doctor. I understand that a couple of weeks ago this was revised by the Thai FDA so that a doctors prescription is required.

You should have a prescription from a cardiologist. If you suffer from high blood pressure (heart related/high cholesterol) this stuff can easily kill you.

Lot of folks out there doesn't seem to be aware of that suicide bomb they swallow.

In my experience, whenever I wanted something that was 'prescription only' in Thailand (eg pseudoephedrine) the pharmacy shops all told me that I'd have to go to a hospital to get it. This gives me the impression that the practice of a doctor writing you a prescription and having it filled by a chemist shop isn't really done in Thailand. Yeah, the doctor may write the name of what you need on a piece of paper and you then hand it in at the shop, but I get the impression that you can buy anything in that shop just by asking for it -- no official document needed. If anyone has ever had a chemist (outside of hospital or clinic) tell them "cannot, need prescription" post your tale.

I know one fellow, bit of a tosser, who told me "tourist police" now means something totally different to him than when he first heard the term. I think he was shaken down in a manner similar to the OP and ashamed he couldn't talk his way out of it.

[Briggsy]

Coming back from Pattaya, you can get off at Central Bang Na and avoid the Ekamai cops.

I just looked in my medicine box next to this computer. I got a load of Valium in there and some Thai Actifed which contains pseudoephedrine. Both of these were bought with no hassle, questions or prescription from my local pharmacy. Looks like I'm foo*ed. Cops might kick down the door any minute.

Edited October 30, 2009 by Briggsy

[sevenhills]

.Once again we have a farang breaking the law by buying illegally, a prescription drug and transporting it around the country then whining about the fact he has been saved from prison by police relieving him of money. far from it giving the Thai police a bad image it to me gives the tourists visiting the Country a bad image. Like the farang crying foul for having to pay the police money for not wearing the required crash helmet ? It would be a different story if they had planted the viagra on your friend but they didn't. Your friend has learnt a valuable lesson and needs to think himself lucky I think!

Are you for real mate, what planet are you from?

[jackspratt]

.Once again we have a farang breaking the law by buying illegally, a prescription drug and transporting it around the country then whining about the fact he has been saved from prison by police relieving him of money. far from it giving the Thai police a bad image it to me gives the tourists visiting the Country a bad image. Like the farang crying foul for having to pay the police money for not wearing the required crash helmet ? It would be a different story if they had planted the viagra on your friend but they didn't. Your friend has learnt a valuable lesson and needs to think himself lucky I think!

Once again we have a farang on this forum jumping to conclusions, and making assertions that are not supported by what is said in the OP.

The guy had just arrived in Thailand - did you consider for a moment that he had purchased the viagra legally in the country from whence he had just come?

How many of us would think about bringing a prescription or doctors certificate from "home" with us when we visited Thailand?

Sounds like a scam to me.

[philthebook]

I got stopped and searched there coming back from pattaya in August. I had 8 valium and had to pay 10,000 Baht

[Briggsy]

How do they know the valium is valium?

[bkkdangerous]

i think the point here is not whether it is illegal or legal to carry the tablets, the point is the extortion is what is annoying. if the guy has done wrong then deal with it under the rule of law in a transparent manner and not in the underhand corrupt manner that is all too prevalent.

[Bagwan]

Exactly. Viagra and the like are legal if prescribed by a doctor or a licensed pharmacist and there is no requirement for the patient to carry a prescription. The OP was scammed and perhaps should have called their bluff.

My understanding is that it is not necessary to hold any pharmacology qualification to open a pharmacy store. Certainly it would be a total waste of breath to ask the little sweetheart shop assistant about the efficacy or efficiency of any drug. So how can one tell if a pharmacist holds the appropriate qualification and if he/she has a licence if one is required? I couldn't tell the difference between qualification recognition and an Udon Thani tram ticket. How does one discover whether any medication is prescription only or not? Can the gurus who run this board please give a definitive declaration whether Viagra is legal or not without prescription? Please. Pretty please. I note that there is no shortage of hoardings in Pattaya advertising that the blue pills are available for sale. I have not checked but they can't all be clinics.

The store that I use sells me Alprozolam which I take on occasion to help me sleep better. The owner has warned me on two occasions not to be caught out by BiB when carrying it home. He says that one of his customers was caught out and ended up inside for 6 months. Strange that the pharmacist wasn't nicked too I'm thinking.

BTW I have never used or had the need to resort to stimulants to make my soldier stand to attention. My experience suggests that if anybody needs this medication, given that there is nothing physically wrong with them, then maybe they are with the wrong lady or have the wrong attitude to sex. My terak, who was not an experienced combatant when we met, and I, have communicated our desires and she knows full well what rings my bell and I hers. I have to admit, being well into my 70's, that it takes a little more time than it used to, but like Johnnie Walker, I keep on going. Just a thought but then maybe I am one of the lucky ones.

I have only been selected for scamming on three occasions in the 8 years that I have been a resident and I account for this on the fact that it is patently obvious that I am not a tourist and completely at home in LoS. I also bluff, right back at any dick head cop using the ploy that practically all Thais are in fear of their boss.. Upsetting the colonel in charge by taking me to the cop shop as they threaten rather than collecting tea money will not find favour in his eyes, neither will the fuss I will kick up. It hasn't failed yet.

[heykki]

No need to pay police anything for holding Viagra.. You haven't done anything they can even fine you for if you just have a pack or two of blue pills. Sad to see people having to pay scam bribes

And please let's stop this non-sense about Thai police planting drugs on people. Highly unlikely and ridiculous to spread the rumour any further although of course there have been cases of people pretending to be police and scam people.

Edited November 3, 2009 by heykki