UK Drug Convict Sandra Gregory Held At Bangkok Airport

[Scepisle]

... as an ex narcotics officer I have seen first hand the terrible consequences of drugs.... I have seen the bodies..... I have seen sixteen year olds dead in back alleys......... and experienced the devastation to families..... she should have been done away with a long time ago.... I have zero sympathy..

[lioness]

And just what loose ends would she have?...

[hughben]

Airline staff don't check for visas.

That's not true.

If you enter a country where you need a visa, I can almost guarantee your passport will be checked for the visa when you check in. I've had that happen many times. Even when a visa isn't required they demanded I produce an onward ticket.

The reason is, the airline you fly with is responsible for flying you out if you are refused entry to wherever you're entering.

In this case I assume the airline would argue she was provided with a visa so they shouldn't have to provide a seat for her deportation.

There are ways she could have entered Thailand with no trouble if she'd used her brain a little.

[webfact]

I don't think that this is correct. We can all travel to a border without a visa. Airline staff don't check for visas.

<snip>

Airline staff don't check for visas.

That is not correct. They do

[jontom]

An Oxford Honours degree and not an ounce of common-sense! &lt;deleted&gt;! Is she a complete loon?

They commuted the death sentence for a drug dealer. Really I'm stunned to think she thought she would be welcomed back with open arms. Too stunned to think; Oxford degree, and doesn't understand how most governments and administrations feel about drugs, even if it did happen a few years ago.

That's one thing they take REAL serious here-drug dealers. Probably lucky she wasn't around during Thaksin's clean out on drug dealers as clearly this thread wouldn't even exist had that been the case!

Thank goodness someone mentioned Thaksin! For a minute I thought this wasnt Thaivisa.com/the Nation newspaper

[gburns57au]

then in her book she states she was tricked by some guy to carry heroin back for him, which she received a sum of cash to pay for her ticket to get home.

How did he trick her into swallowing a condom full of drugs.....or sticking it in the other end of her body......???

I dont believe she was tricked.....she knew exactly what she was doing

No Sympathy for her...she knew too she was banned for life. She tried it on and lost....again

[Chonburiram]

What idiot in Thai Consulate gave her a Visa in the UK?

Who gave her back a passport?

Sentenced to death abroad should be quite indicate that this citizen is not eligible to hold one .

CB

[Artisi]

Forget all the rhetoric and bullsh1t - they are correct in stopping her entering the country, she was convicted of drug offences in Thailand and that's a fact so why would they or should they let her back in.

If it were the other way round, a Thai convicted in the UK for drug smuggling and returned at some later stage to Thailand - would the British Government allow her back into the UK - no way.

Edited December 4, 2009 by Artisi

[prefabs]

then in her book she states she was tricked by some guy to carry heroin back for him, which she received a sum of cash to pay for her ticket to get home.

How did he trick her into swallowing a condom full of drugs.....or sticking it in the other end of her body......???

I dont believe she was tricked.....she knew exactly what she was doing

No Sympathy for her...she knew too she was banned for life. She tried it on and lost....again

How can you say you don't believe she was tricked? Did you read the book? She was ill at the time and desperate for money to get back to UK. The guy's family had pots of money(think about it) and he was later convicted of drugs crimes in aother country.

Would you not agree that this sort of thing has happened before, small time mules getting set up, while the big man gets through at the airport? Or maybe it hasn't happened and I am dreaming again.

Another TV "hang em high" gauleiter

As for her coming back to Thailand, she was surely badly advised. I think she would have gone through a logical process before coming back in and I don't think many people in her circumstances would have tried it without taking advice

[PhilHarries]

How can you say you don't believe she was tricked? Did you read the book? She was ill at the time and desperate for money to get back to UK. The guy's family had pots of money(think about it) and he was later convicted of drugs crimes in aother country.

Would you not agree that this sort of thing has happened before, small time mules getting set up, while the big man gets through at the airport? Or maybe it hasn't happened and I am dreaming again.

In which case she was NOT tricked. She may have been in dire straights financially and physically ill but she knew exactly what she was doing. Legal carry on baggage goes in the overhead locker not into a body cavity.

Plus don't forget that this is her claim in the book, does anybody know if any of it is/was true?

[PattayaParent]

So you reckon she would not even have received a custodial sentence in the UK for carrying 86.9 gramme of heroin...

Some of the comments on this thread have made me laugh but that remark made me laugh longest so thanks for that.

As for Gregory returning to Thailand, I just wonder who paid for the flight, maybe the Sun Newspaper or some other rag.

She would have gotten a suspended sentence for such a trivial amount, not a custodial sentence.

[termad]

What idiot in Thai Consulate gave her a Visa in the UK?

Who gave her back a passport?

Sentenced to death abroad should be quite indicate that this citizen is not eligible to hold one .

CB

I don't think that a criminal conviction bars you from having a passport. But I think that all countries have lists of undesirables so if one tries to enter the country or apply for a visa his/her red flagged name is flashed up. I would have thought that the Thai Immigration has a similar system which could be accessed by an Embassy or Consul. So either somebody dropped a clanger or it was a system error. I wonder that as she had a visa and was on her way to Thailand whether in fact it was the British Customs that tipped off Thai Immigration in Bangkok that she due to arrive in Thailand. The travel destinations of convicted drug smugglers would be closely monitored in the UK and Europe.

[prefabs]

How can you say you don't believe she was tricked? Did you read the book? She was ill at the time and desperate for money to get back to UK. The guy's family had pots of money(think about it) and he was later convicted of drugs crimes in aother country.

Would you not agree that this sort of thing has happened before, small time mules getting set up, while the big man gets through at the airport? Or maybe it hasn't happened and I am dreaming again.

In which case she was NOT tricked. She may have been in dire straights financially and physically ill but she knew exactly what she was doing. Legal carry on baggage goes in the overhead locker not into a body cavity.

Plus don't forget that this is her claim in the book, does anybody know if any of it is/was true?

Fair comment, maybe she was lying. However, many people in TV jump to conclusions when they have absolutely no idea what happened then or later. Myself, I prefer to believe her story in her book.

[gburns57au]

How can you say you don't believe she was tricked? Did you read the book? She was ill at the time and desperate for money to get back to UK. The guy's family had pots of money(think about it) and he was later convicted of drugs crimes in aother country.

Would you not agree that this sort of thing has happened before, small time mules getting set up, while the big man gets through at the airport? Or maybe it hasn't happened and I am dreaming again.

In which case she was NOT tricked. She may have been in dire straights financially and physically ill but she knew exactly what she was doing. Legal carry on baggage goes in the overhead locker not into a body cavity.

Plus don't forget that this is her claim in the book, does anybody know if any of it is/was true?

Fair comment, maybe she was lying. However, many people in TV jump to conclusions when they have absolutely no idea what happened then or later. Myself, I prefer to believe her story in her book.

I didnt jump to a conclusion, I merely commented on another posters comments....that comment was that she said in the book that she had been tricked into carrying the drugs...I was merely questioning the validity of that comment.

If you have read any of my posts in other topics you would see that I am far from a hang em high advocate.

Edited December 4, 2009 by gburns57au

[gburns57au]

So you reckon she would not even have received a custodial sentence in the UK for carrying 86.9 gramme of heroin...

Some of the comments on this thread have made me laugh but that remark made me laugh longest so thanks for that.

As for Gregory returning to Thailand, I just wonder who paid for the flight, maybe the Sun Newspaper or some other rag.

She would have gotten a suspended sentence for such a trivial amount, not a custodial sentence.

Lets see......

Lets say it was street purity....that trivial amount could have netted upto $90,000 AUD today....However trafficked drugs are rarely trafficked at street purity, it is usually "cut" to increase the amount of drug on sold to addicts. That would mean that the actual value would have been a lot higher. Even back in those days it would have been worth a fair bit....hardly trivial.

[tony03]

She's gone now.

Put on an outbound plane to Qatar and presumably the UK after that.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Thais-deport-d...gory.5883857.jp

[TAWP]

So you reckon she would not even have received a custodial sentence in the UK for carrying 86.9 gramme of heroin...

Some of the comments on this thread have made me laugh but that remark made me laugh longest so thanks for that.

As for Gregory returning to Thailand, I just wonder who paid for the flight, maybe the Sun Newspaper or some other rag.

She would have gotten a suspended sentence for such a trivial amount, not a custodial sentence.

Lets see......

Lets say it was street purity....that trivial amount could have netted upto $90,000 AUD today....However trafficked drugs are rarely trafficked at street purity, it is usually "cut" to increase the amount of drug on sold to addicts. That would mean that the actual value would have been a lot higher. Even back in those days it would have been worth a fair bit....hardly trivial.

I think you mean it was not 'cut' [to street level purity], as each cutting will dilute the product.

You are correct, she wasn't carrying one dosage or the likes, on the other hand the amount might just have been one condom - enough to get the full brigade out at the airport, small enough to take it as a predicted loss when your real mule with 15 condoms get through due to the commotion.

[ArthurPewty]

Maybe she felt she had not had enough of the Thai legal system.

Excuse my ignorance, but I guess she would have a new passport and her name is not unique, so how would they know?

[BWPattaya]

Sandra Gregory broke the law. She knew what she was doing. She admitted this in her book, which I have read and find it despicable that she can make money from her sordid past. She regretted being transferred to Holloway as she found it worse than the Bangkok Hilton. I have absolutely no sympathy for her. I remember when she was pleading to the media that was an inncoent person caught up in all of this. Then she writes her book.

If a person receives a life sentence in the UK it means it is never spent and can be recalled back to prison.

As for trying to come back here, how stupid was that? Unless she wanted some more publicity! Well done to the immigration official who prevented her coming back in. Mind you, think what would happen if they had let her in and she got caught again. Sensational, and would certainly prove the old adage thet the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour.

[plasticpig]

Maybe she felt she had not had enough of the Thai legal system.

Excuse my ignorance, but I guess she would have a new passport and her name is not unique, so how would they know?

Date of birth and name. not to many the same, this alone would get you a closer looking at.

[reboi]

then in her book she states she was tricked by some guy to carry heroin back for him, which she received a sum of cash to pay for her ticket to get home.

How did he trick her into swallowing a condom full of drugs.....or sticking it in the other end of her body......???

I dont believe she was tricked.....she knew exactly what she was doing

No Sympathy for her...she knew too she was banned for life. She tried it on and lost....again

How the hel_l does a convicted drug trafficker get a passport anyway? To go anywhere? Who the hel_l would want them?

[nonghoidave]

What a pack of self righteous t_wats! Most especially the w_anker who brags of having 'locked up drug dealers for years.' Here's hoping he meets up with one of his former supplicants on a dark, deserted soi some night on his way home from a pleasant meal

Agreed. Same as someone in the American Prohibition era getting satisfaction from locking up those making and selling alcohol. All those evil folks supplying the booze that "destroyed lives', yes, THAT worked out well....

No difference at all. And how many here disagreeing are "havin' a cold one" while being so self-righteous?

[ArthurPewty]

Maybe she felt she had not had enough of the Thai legal system.

Excuse my ignorance, but I guess she would have a new passport and her name is not unique, so how would they know?

Date of birth and name. not to many the same, this alone would get you a closer looking at.

Is that really enough? There could well be many Sandra Gregorys born in the same year and date. It is not as though her name is Arazmaz Deckchair Huckster Ramsbottom.

Do they have a list of photos to compare against?

[doomster]

I think she paid dearly for the terrible mistake - she made as a young lady. So many people here are ready to condem her for life. These types are the real ignorant scum.

Little naive mules are hardly responsible for the major drugs problems around the world. Perhaps a little education is in order here!

Edited December 7, 2009 by doomster

[theoldgit]

I think she paid dearly for the terrible mistake - she made as a young lady. So many people here are ready to condemn her for life. These types are the real ignorant scum.

Little naive mules are hardly responsible for the major drugs problems around the world. Perhaps a little education is in order here!

And a little politeness wouldn't go amiss either.

[doomster]

I think she paid dearly for the terrible mistake - she made as a young lady. So many people here are ready to condemn her for life. These types are the real ignorant scum.

Little naive mules are hardly responsible for the major drugs problems around the world. Perhaps a little education is in order here!

And a little politeness wouldn't go amiss either.

People who condem otheres because of their mistakes are ignorant my opinion. But obviously you know better

Edited December 7, 2009 by doomster

[PhilHarries]

Is that really enough? There could well be many Sandra Gregorys born in the same year and date. It is not as though her name is Arazmaz Deckchair Huckster Ramsbottom.

Do they have a list of photos to compare against?

Name, then date of birth lengthens the odds a fair bit, then there's nationality and place of birth all of which you have to enter on your arrival card and is also displayed in your passport for verification.

No matter, she got through, got nabbed by immigration, no doubt was given special accommodation and has now been sent packing with more material for another book.

Who buys these books anyway? It seems to be the favoured M.O. for failed crims these days, write a book about your hard time, preferrably in a foriegn jail, and make enough dough to restart your criminal career.

doomster, you may be correct that little niaive mules are not responsible for the world's drug problems but they are an essential part of the machine.

No matter what any of us think about the illegal drugs business it is deemed to be just that, illegal, by just about every government in the world. Thus people getting caught taking part in the proliferation of the stuff can expect to be given some harsh treatment. Don't forget that the drugs she was caught with were destined for somebody's son or daughter.

[theoldgit]

I think she paid dearly for the terrible mistake - she made as a young lady. So many people here are ready to condemn her for life. These types are the real ignorant scum.

Little naive mules are hardly responsible for the major drugs problems around the world. Perhaps a little education is in order here!

And a little politeness wouldn't go amiss either.

People who condemn others because of their mistakes are ignorant my opinion. But obviously you know better

I am not arrogant enough to suggest I know better and nowhere have I suggested I do, I have spent my life helping people helping getting over their earlier mistakes and this includes the victims of the drug trade, be they addicts, mules and to an extent even the dealers.

Maybe you should show some common courtesy and not say that people who do not agree with your views "are ignorant scum".

[doomster]

I think she paid dearly for the terrible mistake - she made as a young lady. So many people here are ready to condemn her for life. These types are the real ignorant scum.

Little naive mules are hardly responsible for the major drugs problems around the world. Perhaps a little education is in order here!

And a little politeness wouldn't go amiss either.

People who condemn others because of their mistakes are ignorant my opinion. But obviously you know better

I am not arrogant enough to suggest I know better and nowhere have I suggested I do, I have spent my life helping people helping getting over their earlier mistakes and this includes the victims of the drug trade, be they addicts, mules and to an extent even the dealers.

Maybe you should show some common courtesy and not say that people who do not agree with your views "are ignorant scum".

I have no problem in showing common courtesy to courtious people. Maybe you should spend a bit more of your life helping yourself with your selfrightious disposition. You obviously have a narrow view - quote: 'helping victims of the drug trade'. This girl was also a victim.

Personally - and in my experience - I find that many people who use drugs are quick to jump on the old 'the drugs made me do it'. Most of the scum (theres that word again) who use drugs are quick to use the drugs as an excuse for being the scum they are.

[Artisi]

Little naive mules are hardly responsible for the major drugs problems around the world. Perhaps a little education is in order here!

Incorrect, they add to the problem.

Put it another way - how many naive mules does it take before it (they as a group) becomes a major problem, 1, 2, 3 or 50.