Teenage Briton Arrested For Drug Trafficking

[Guest IT Manager]

whats A/A is that an engineering group for airlines? Aerlingus (sic?) used an agency sort of thing with QANTAS years ago but I never understood how all that worked.

[Guest IT Manager]

Dr. PP, is this book available here in the USA????? Hopefully it is in English. I would like to read it out of darn curiousity in hopes of knowing just how bad the Hilton really is.

Dave I can answer that, if that's ok with you Doc.

It's written in Australian but the translation is relatively easy. Many English and Australian words have been cleverly adapted so they can be used when reading in American.

Hope it helps. Also it's out of print, but some good second hand bookshops have it still, and many libraries also.

FELLOWS WARREN ~ DAMAGE DONE ~ 0330361473 ~ PAPER BACK ~ Australian$21

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Dr. PP, is this book available here in the USA?????  Hopefully it is in English.  I would like to read it out of darn curiousity in hopes of knowing just how bad the Hilton really is.

Dave I can answer that, if that's ok with you Doc.

It's written in Australian but the translation is relatively easy. Many English and Australian words have been cleverly adapted so they can be used when reading in American.

Hope it helps. Also it's out of print, but some good second hand bookshops have it still, and many libraries also.

FELLOWS WARREN ~ DAMAGE DONE ~ 0330361473 ~ PAPER BACK ~ Australian$21

Go for it IT....Daveyo has a lotta trouble with American English, but he could probably find an aussie to guide him through Fellows masterpiece in Strine

[DaveYo]

IT, A/A means American Airlines. NWA means Northwest Airlines, and JAL means Japan Air Lines. Hope this information sorts you out somewhat so you can understand.

Hehehehehehehe

Daveyo

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Aerlingus (sic?) used an agency sort of thing with QANTAS years ago but I never understood how all that worked.

Wasn't it Cunninglingus IT ?

[DaveYo]

Dr. PP, no that is an Irish Airline. Now you don't want to upset the Irish do you?????

Funny tho, I am a bit surprised you folks don't know airlines, and their short abbreviations etc., it is a true wonder none of you boarded up on the wrong plane

Daveyo

PS It is no where close to being associated with Quantas. That is a Australian Airline. Hehehehehehehe., Imagine now if you guys wanted to go to Ireland you end up boarding Quantas and presto you end up seeing Kangaroos!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Dr. PP, no that is an Irish Airline.  Now you don't want to upset the Irish do you?????

PS  It is no where close to being associated with Quantas.  That is a Australian Airline.  Hehehehehehehe.,  Imagine now if you guys wanted to go to Ireland you end up boarding Quantas and presto you end up seeing Kangaroos!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Nothin' wrong with Cunninglinguistics either But for the sake of accuracy, it is QANTAS ...( QF ) The Aussies can't afford the U. I see kangaroos after ingestion of copious quantities of red wine.

[piratone]

Everybody seems to have missed the point here.

This kid is 'GUILTY' and he dam well knows it. The UK is one of the biggest Ecstacy producing countrys in the world. Many are made in illegal factorys in the North (where this kid is from). In Thailand the price of a tab of ecstacy is about 1000 baht (£16). In the UK a batch of 10,000 tabs of ecstacy can be bought for £5500 (55 pence each, or 30 baht). So now you can see why this time the drugs were taken INTO Thailand instead of being bought there.

   Secondly about this KID who was caught at the airport. I have many friends and family in Manchester some of them in Bury where this lad is from. Now for all of you who think he is innocent then read on. This kids cousin is one of the biggest drug dealers in North Manchester, and this is well known. Also the kid who got arrested is a known Herion addict in the UK. Not only that but he has been earning a living the past couple of years running drugs for his cousin around Manchester and the other parts of the UK. So many people who know about his family from Bury, weren't to suprised when they heard that he was arrested at Bangkok airport.

   Finally ecatacy IS NOT made in Thailand, just Ya' bah. And for people in the scene, it has been common knowledge in certain circles that if a dealer is prepared to send somebody from the UK to Thailand with 3500 tabs of ecstacy (which is the ammount this kid was caught with, isn't that strange!), then instead of recieving a cash payment for the drugs, there are certain dealers in Bangkok who will just do a straight swap for a kilo of pure herion. And that is fantastic business for both parties, 3500 tabs of ecstacy (value in UK £1800) to be swaped for one kilo of pure herion (can be cut into 3 kilos in UK, and be sold at £12,000 per kilo x 3 =£36,000). So now you can see why that guy was sent there.

  And just for anybody who still thinks the kid is innocent, this is the second time he has done this trip to Thailand now.

this boy (who is not the brightest spark at best of times) from Bury is not a heroin addict (he may smoke pot when he can afford it) has no relations who deal in drugs and The Family are not known around the Manchester area as drug dealers or anything else for that matter, so that is just false info, or worse, total bullshit. however he does know 2 convicted armed thieves who deal in drugs. (one used to live next door to him and his mum) thats probably how he got to know them. Now the word going around Bury is that they were using him as a mule, (probably because he owed them money) there`s also a rumour that one of them grassed him up to get a bigger shipment in. Mr Helper seems to know an awfull lot about drug prices though.

[Nam Kao]

>>>I hope that they give the kid a fright but are understanding.

When they strap him to the table, he'll get a fright

[parryhandy]

stumbled across this website the other day browsing. Gives a good idea of whats in store for this lad. link

[A. BOOZER]

Certainly an interesting site, a great pity that some of those that are prepared to

run the gauntlet don't realize what they are letting themselves in for!

[Zippy]

Evening all.

Read the first 6 pages and missed the rest as I'm abit pissed and need a sleep but would like to say a couple of things.

1st, 'E' cost £2 in England and are £25 on Kao Phagan. I should know as I was there for the full moon party in 2001.

My adventure of Thailand came crashing down around me in Bangkok when I was framed by the <deleted> currupt police. I got arrested in bangkok with this girl who had 5 ya-ba pills on her. He said to me you go to prison long time

He wanted 20,000 baht!! Its such a long story that I wont go into now, But Did I pay ? Like <deleted>!!

The other point I would like to make is that what ever this kid has done then he should be punished but not life!! We've all made mistakes in life and have had the chance to put things right what we've done wrong and have gone on too lead law abiding lifes.

For god sake he's only 19 and we all have been at that age where we've taken chances but not on the scale like he has.

You might think I'm sad but I could care about you're opinions, I've got him a christmas card and am sending it to him, Plus £10 pounds for some fresh fruit and he can buy some stamps and writing paper to write home to his family.

Dont care what anyone thinks, Hes a Human being and a young lad, you only get one life. Its not a dress rehersal. There isn't a afterlife!

Take care everyone. And hope you have a save journey whereever you maybe in this big bad world.

Regards.

Zippy

[ThaiAdventure]

You might think I'm sad but I could care about you're opinions, I've got him a christmas card and am sending it to him, Plus ?10 pounds for some fresh fruit and he can buy some stamps and writing paper to write home to his family.

As the Thai would say Khun Jai Dii. It is a shame there are not more farang in BKK that can put compassion before judgement.

I would not recommend sending the card to the Jail directly...he is unlikely to recieve the money. Instead, send it to the embassy and they can buy the things and take them to hm on their visits ensuring that your generosity is recieved.

[Zippy]

I shall do that, Wouldn't want the Thai prison officers lining their own pockets with my hard earned cash.

If I was that young lad I would plead not guilty..........And let them take my life, I'd rather die than rot in that shit (Hilton) hole.

[FacelessOne]

Hi People,

Did anyone see 'The Real Bangkok Hilton' – This World on BBC 2 at 9:00pm last night??

I was totally shocked and appalled....no words can express the actual daily life shown on this documentary - drug dealer, murderer, or whatever, it's not human and a total wrong one!

If not, here is a summary of the programme followed by some links..... (please take the time to read it.) Thank you.

"Thailand’s Bang Kwang Prison, aka “The Bangkok Hilton”, is the most notorious prison in the world. Feature films and novels have tried to imagine the horrible existence of the prisoners inside, but the reality within the walls has never been filmed – until now.

After two years of negotiations the prison bosses have allowed a BBC crew to film the secret world of Bang Kwang – and the reality proves stranger than fiction. The programme tells the humanstories of prisoners struggling to stay sane, and of Thai staff struggling to cope. Prisoner Michael Connell, a thin and frail supermarket worker from Manchester, is only 19. His lawyers say he has the mental age of someone several years younger, but he talks clearly of the daily life in jail. The only foreigner in a dorm of 1,000, he survives by teaching his fellow inmates English. He got 99 years for smuggling 3,400 e-pills into the country, where few can afford them, and he won’t explain why.

Connell is nervous as the new boy; his lastwords to camera are “even David Beckham couldn’t get me out of here…”

Veteran British prisoner Andrew Hawke talks freely of his foolish decision to smuggle heroin after an offer from a stranger in Amsterdam, and takes viewers on a tour – pointing out how the shackles of the death row prisoners are welded on permanently.

Prisoner Amporn is waiting to be killed, and his voice shakes as he explains how he’ll be given only two hours’ notice before he dies.The executioner tours the execution room, demonstrating the new technique of injections. Inside, it’s still splattered with the blood of those killed by a bullet(machine-gun firing squads); the bodies are taken next door to a tiny Buddhist temple for a final blessing.

The monk who guards the urns of the unclaimed explains how dying by execution is a“blessing in disguise”. However, mistakes are made – one Thai inmate called “Chicago Pete” tells of bloody riots and how heheard his best friend’s screams as he was dragged to the chamber. The jail’s transvestites, or lady boys, share quarters. One, whosmuggled drugs to pay for a breast augmentation, now works forthe prison TV station as a make-up artist and waits for a royalpardon so that she can finish her operations and become a real woman.

In hospital, a man dying of Aids lies shaking on his bed;another stares vacantly into the camera as the doctor explainshow Thai society refuses to donate medicine as they think theprisoners deserve their suffering. The corrections department seems determined to change thenature of Bang Kwang; they are reformers, but they’re fightingagainst a tide of new prisoners and a tiny budget. Khun Nattee, the director of prisons, wants this to be a warning to English tourists:“Thai prisons are tough – you don’t want to be in Bang Kwang.” ( no kidding!)

Beleive me the footage is 10000 times more powerfull than the commentary on it......

There are 25 peopel to a room, with 24 hr lighting, they are confinded in there for 15hrs a day, they have to fend for themselves in regards to money and food, as the kid from Manchester says about gettin up to go to the toilet in the night, you come back and your bed has gone!....

He talked about the man currently sleeping next to him, who itched more than a dog, wasn't all there mentally, never washed and as a consiquence blood spilled onto the young lads bed when he scratched, as a result he devolped skin sores....which is as the veterans said one of the worst things to get in the hilton (open sores dont heal and get infected easily) He also talked about having someone do his washing and other petty stuff for him in return for buying the other guy food and small things.

Basically if one person gets ill, they all do. Highly organised Nigerean inamtes have no embassy or relatives to help finacially and run rackets of drugs and mobile phones, possibly pimping the lady-boys and other's too. There are bugs everywhere, worse than normal due to the 24hour lighting system. Countless people looked at the end of their teather mentally.

Solitary confindment is basically a 7x7 foot room with a bed and a bucket, and one inmate said the only person to visit him was a missionary and only once in a while, and he muttered once in a while a few times....

I know this is a totally different culture and that as a country you have to resepct and honour their traditions and way of life, but this takes the piss.....

On the other hand, one man was in for 700grams of herion, the young lad couple thousand pills these arent just small time drug pushers thats heavy amounts, and organised, people who smuggle drugs, do so with full knowledge or what might happen to them, theyre just mules in a long chain and pretty viewed by the poeple above them as worth less than the drugs they're carrying. More often than not they deiberatly set them up with tip offs to allow a distraction for 2 or 3 other mules with a bigger consignment to slip through...that's played out for us to see with Andrew Hawke the man who was homeless, had just split up with family and in his own words "suicidally depressed" he was in Amsterdam for whatever reason, I dont how someone who is homelss, pennyless, and just split up with their family, ends up in Amsterdam, but he said he was drunk spilling out his heart to anyone in the bar, at about 4am he was approached by someone telling him he had a way to get him out of his problems, he was told all he had to do was go to Thailand, do some business, see the sights them come back. So he drunkildly agreed, by 2pm the next day he was in a car being taken to Schipol Airport....for an all expenses paid trip to the bangkok hilton.

Anyway there were to many points raised, and not enough space or typing power to address them all....

here are some links and for anyone interested in helping these people information about contacting the relevant parties.

Cheers...

BBC - This World Webpage

The e-mail address for The British Embassy in Bangkok is -

[email protected]

British Embassy

1031 Wireless Road

Lumpini, Pathumwan

Bangkok 10330

+66 (0) 2 305 8333 Main Embassy line

[email protected]

I, like the other guy who posted before, will definitely be sending some stuff to these people no matter what crimes they commited they dont deserve that kind of treatment and definetly deserve a 2nd chance in life, and I'm refering to the Thai's, Nigereans, etc as much as I am the british people.

[bkkbound04]

i watched last night....

i felt for the length of sentance, but, these guys were after expoliting thailand....

imho the young guy never really suffered from any mental impairment that might cause him to smuggle drugs?? the way he spoke of other inmates and daily routine showed that...there's some quotes above^^^^

he like most dealers/smugglers knew what he was doing and knew the consequence of his actions...he even said it in the show

the older brit was another one...his friend that he introduced looked suprised when the brit turned to the camera and said "i always said i was guilty" it was as if it was the 1st time his friend had heard it

....on being a penniless bum in amsterdam....how did he have money to be getting drunk in a bar at 4 am? amsterdam is an expensive city

the inmates shown didn't appreciate visits from outsiders....i don't think they could get their head round why some1 would want to spend time on another....obviously they wouldn't do it in reverse circumstances....reason being they have no concern for any1 but themselves and no interest in society-that's why they were smuggling drugs!!!

both brits had huge amounts of class a drugs on them when arrested....these would warrent severe sentances in the uk (nearly 1 kilo heroin etc)

...now they would probably make at least 4-5 times in los what they would make in the uk so a sentance that is 4-5 times in los what it would be in the uk seems perfectly fair

i was suprised at the lack of empathy that the monk showed(just imagine religeous peeps being more forgiving) but he did have a point

if u wanna break laws in a foreign country then u have to accept the outcome and not harp on about what would happen in the uk etc....u weren't caught in the uk etc

as for prison conditions.....a lot of thai citizens live in lesser condition than western peeps so the prison reflects that...

imho it would be very odd if a thai prison was up to western standars in relation to singular cells etc....

what the show highlighted that inmates don't recieve in the uk is the ability to cook for yourself and purchase goods on a daily basis(fresh? )

uk inmates eat what they are given and are allowed to purchase goods once a week

just my 20p worth

[FacelessOne]

the inmates shown didn't appreciate visits from outsiders....i don't think they could get their head round why some1 would want to spend time on another....obviously they wouldn't do it in reverse circumstances....reason being they have no concern for any1 but themselves and no interest in society-that's why they were smuggling drugs!!!

You've gotta be kiddin me here??? - First off, It's the first time any body been allowed to film actually 'inside' the prison, so yeah I would be shocked at seeing a huge BBC film crew, let alone a hand held camera suddenly appearing if id been in a caged room squashed up with 25 other men for years.

To say they dont appreciate visit's is ludacrus, the programmed focused mainly on the brits in there and foreigners, and being thousands of miles from home, they dont get many visits...soooo I think they would be more than happy to see someone fimilar.

Secondly, the Head prison officer even said that some poeple convicted on drug offences dont even take drugs, so who are you to judge what role they play in society? And how can you judge how a person behaves in society on the premise that they are in jail on a drug offence? - many, many 'good' citizins, church going people, even clergy men have been convicted of crimes, drug and non drug related....so to say they don't care about their society because they sold drugs is again complete and utter.....

both brits  had huge amounts of class a drugs on them when arrested....these would warrent severe sentances in the uk (nearly 1 kilo heroin etc) ...now they would probably make at least  4-5 times in los what they would make in the uk so a sentance that is 4-5 times in los what it would be in the uk seems perfectly fair..

LOL! Wouldn't want you in the home office, tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye and all that stuff!...way to work out sentancing policy, sherlock.

Yeah the conditions were on par with the standard of living over in Thailand, but the main concerns were the over popullation, the 50to1 prisoner to guard ratio, 25people in a small room, sanitation and just general health issues.

The abilty as u point out, to cook for themselves, run their own little society is different, but imo just makes them even more wild as they receive no instatutionalised reform or are even encouraged too.

Instead they form their own structured system but I guess thats prison...You saw how pissed off they were when there was a block search and illegal items taken away and how the guards pretty much had to keep a distance and not piss em off even more, they know theyre hopelessly outnumbered, the even stopped filming there after the one time cos of the possible tension in the block.....also scarey to hear the warden say this is the first time a woman has been inside here and seeing the prisoners gawping and the complete and utter nervousness of the prison officals when the film crew went to film inside one of the 25man sardine can rooms....the prison warden jokingly saying wouldnt that be headline news the bbc taken hostage!...(if only andrew marr was there!..i woulda wanted it to happen - joke)

Its like a... do what the <deleted> you want kinda system just dont step outta line and sweet up the guards. Inmates are encourgad to grass up other people to get favours with guards its a widespread system and used throughout the prison. The rich survive and the poor nosedive....

The thing that most stood out to me, apart from the monk (yeah he did have a good point and was kinda spiritual brutal and ruthless :-P), was most suprising the 19yr old kid had already b1tched some thai into cleaning, washing his stuff and doing things for him in reward for food....and only 4months into a 99 yr bird....attaboy! Money rules....

My, and i think the documentary's main concerns were the squalid, medievil conditions, and the extradition system the UK have where you can return after 8yrs but the UK Home Office cannot have your sentance reduced unlike every other country, where the particular country get the sentance reduced to fit in with the countrys policy on the particular crime and the appropriate sentance.

Many other brits have chosen to stay there, rather than face 70 or whatever years in a uk prison. But again that can be put down adapting to thai surroundings, knowing your in for life and thinking why change now...even tho the conditions would be better in the uk, the food and general well being far higher, access to legal and family easier etc, why they choose to stay there on the hope of a royal pardon is even stupider than takin a kilo off scag there in the first place.

All that said and done, they knew what they were doing, perhaps they werent aware of just how deep they were getting involved and what the outcome would be if they got caught...

just my 21pence worth

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[snoophound]

Guess its the old debate

Arent prisons meant to scare people into not breaking the law?.

The way some of these low rent people in the Nth of england live ,its prob nicer inside a UK prison,warm three meals a day,gymnasiums........etc etc

Simple really and its been widely known for scores of years that if you take risks with Hard drugs in Thailand you know what the place you are going to will be like.

Ignorance is no excuse.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

So to all expats out there, refuse the scan after you pass customs with your bags on that cart.  They cannot stop you.

That's total bullshit !!!

In Don Muang, even out in the carparks, Customs and Airport Security Officers, plainclothes and uniformed police, and the ever-present government spooks of various flavors have the absolute authority to detain and search anyone's baggage or person or vehicle at any time for any reason!

If you pulled the crap you say you pulled then you were extremely lucky not to find yourself in a strip search room with a proctoscope and five feet of garden hose jammed violently up your arse ... SOP when dealing with lippy farangs ... it teaches them respect and shows them who has the power.

You are reviving an oldie. But Dave never ever let the facts get in the way of a story.

[Boon Mee]

Imagines himself sauntering out of OHare International rather than Don Muang...

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[A. BOOZER]

"Thai prisons are tough – you don’t want to be in Bang Kwang"

Yes, I watched this program, and I certainly would not fancy being incarcerated there. However this is a Thai jail, in Thailand holding people that have broken Thai law. Certainly in the case of the two Englishmen featured, they have admitted their guilt and have been punished according to the Thai system. As much as I feel that their sentences are extreme, they would not be there if they had not been caught breaking the law of the land.

IF YOU CAN'T DO THE TIME, DON'T DO THE CRIME

I wonder how many people in the U.K. who have had thair cars broken into or stolen, or been burgled or even mugged to help furnish some addicts needs, feel quite so sympathetic.

Lest we forget, it's not so many years ago that people were deported from the U.K. for stealing a loaf, languished in jail for debt, or were executed for sheep stealing.

Out of interest, could any of our American members enlighten us as to what sentences these people would have received, if they had come under the U.S. judicial system?

[kat]

Must say, I do feel a tinge of grief for this kid. Very stupid mistake, but I also cringe when I think about some of the things I did when I was 19. However, I don't think I would ever be stupid enough to smuggle drugs anywhere, never mind S.E. Asia.

Still feel sorry for the kid though.

[bkkbound04]

the inmates shown didn't appreciate visits from outsiders....i don't think they could get their head round why some1 would want to spend time on another....obviously they wouldn't do it in reverse circumstances....reason being they have no concern for any1 but themselves and no interest in society-that's why they were smuggling drugs!!!

You've gotta be kiddin me here??? - First off, It's the first time any body been allowed to film actually 'inside' the prison, so yeah I would be shocked at seeing a huge BBC film crew, let alone a hand held camera suddenly appearing if id been in a caged room squashed up with 25 other men for years.

To say they dont appreciate visit's is ludacrus, the programmed focused mainly on the brits in there and foreigners, and being thousands of miles from home, they dont get many visits...soooo I think they would be more than happy to see someone fimilar.

Secondly, the Head prison officer even said that some poeple convicted on drug offences dont even take drugs, so who are you to judge what role they play in society? And how can you judge how a person behaves in society on the premise that they are in jail on a drug offence? - many, many 'good' citizins, church going people, even clergy men have been convicted of crimes, drug and non drug related....so to say they don't care about their society because they sold drugs is again complete and utter.....

just my 21pence worth

i gotta disagree with you on this.....

i think they referred to them as *monkey visits" saying they felt like a caged animal in the zoo with visitors!

i agree that they are grateful for the gifts they receive...but i don't think they are grateful of the visit as this * shows

as i said before...i don't think they could get their head round why some1 would do somehing like this (visit)and put it down to the vistors just wanting to make themselves feel good.....

i never commented on the thai prisoners.....

from a previous visit to thailand i learned that it's quite common for a young child to be working to provide money for their familly due to poverty, familly illness or familly responsability

i met a highly skilled honest man in thailand on my last trip who worked 3 jobs a day-7 days a week and earned about £100 a month

so as for the dealers that don't use drugs and just sell....usually the worst type of dealer-pure fianancial gain rather than any drug habbit that they have to feed

i feel for people that have to sell drugs to earn a living for their familly....as was highlighted it's the top men that get off scott-free and the mules that take the comeback

i'd appreciate it if u were a bit more descriptive of these good good people/church goers/ clergy men and the crimes u refer to???

i spoke only of the 2 brits convicted of smuggling huge amounts of drugs....

...just an example of cost/profit for you, the " e's" that the 19 yr old was caught with would have an average street price of £1 per pill in the uk in thailand they would cost an average of £10 per pill....this young guy was out to make himself some serious money and knew what would make that kinda money in los

..as u say they knew what they were doing

...on a side note if the sentances were reduced and brought in2 touch with european/western sentaces/standards then i feel because of the profit to be made from drug sales in los, that los would really suffer and drugs would be an even bigger problem i.e if some1 faces the same punnishment for a crime in los as they do in the uk they will commit the crime where they will make the most profit.....3000 e pills in uk approx £3000, 3000 e pills in los approx £30,000

that was the point i was trying to make about the sentance length in my previous post watson

just my 5 bob

[kat]

"Thai prisons are tough – you don’t want to be in Bang Kwang"

Yes, I watched this program, and I certainly would not fancy being incarcerated there. However this is a Thai jail, in Thailand holding people that have broken Thai law. Certainly in the case of the two Englishmen featured, they have admitted their guilt and have been punished according to the Thai system. As much as I feel that their sentences are extreme, they would not be there if they had not been caught breaking the law of the land.

IF YOU CAN'T DO THE TIME, DON'T DO THE CRIME

I wonder how many people in the U.K. who have had thair cars broken into or stolen, or been burgled or even mugged to help furnish some addicts needs, feel quite so sympathetic.

Lest we forget, it's not so many years ago that people were deported from the U.K. for stealing a loaf, languished in jail for debt, or were executed for sheep stealing.

Out of interest, could any of our American members enlighten us as to what sentences these people would have received, if they had come under the U.S. judicial system?

I'm definitely not an expert on this subject, but I am from an urban ghetto and have seem my fair share of drug-dealers and drug-busts. Have also visited my fair share of people doing time. The cynical American response to your question, would be - it depends if the offenders are black/hispanic or white. The criminal penal system is weighted heavily against some more than others, and this is well documented, researched, and believable given that our criminal penal system has evolved out of a legacy of slavery and segregation and all that this entails. There has been a lot of commotion about a study done at Northwestern University last year that used DNA tests to PROVE that multiple prisoners on deathrow were innocent. Needless to say, this has created a confidence crisis for many in the credibiltiy of our criminal justice system, but as I said earlier, I'm one of the cynical ones who has believed/known this for years. I have also read about women being systematically raped in the prisons of Madison, Wisconsin, which should have raised another crisis, but apparently did not (you can find this on the internet if you are so inclined: (women prisons madison wisconsin). Yep, I know what you're thinking: these are the same people that brought you Abu Gharib in Iraq, and I would say: yes and no (Because all though I'm a cynic, I am also a stubborn ass academic that needs to represent fact, even if it inconviences my point of view). A lot is determined state by state as well, and some states are obviously more conservative than others (hello Texas).

That being said, there are many that have also shuttled through our criminal system, to go out and commit many of the same crimes again (recidivism in the criminal penal system is alarmingly high). This is due to many factors, which I just can't go into now. I am highly confident that there has possibly been next to no one that has ever received a life sentence or jail term longer than 8-15 years simply for one or even a few drug offences (there could be exceptions, but I would really be surprised). If violence is involved, however, it can be a different story altogether. Much is also influenced by whomever happens to be in that whitehouse and whatever pitch their on, as many of us are painfully aware these days. During the 1980s under Reagan's "Just say no to Drugs Campaign", there were stories of people losing their cars and going to jail for as much as one ganja seed found in their cars. That was also the time of crack-cocaine, so it was a little ironic to think that you can "Just say No" to an already drug-crazed, crack addict that would bludgeon their grandmother-to-death while on a 15 minute high if they could reap a few coins out of the deal to prepare for the next 15 minutes.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You are reviving an oldie. But Dave never ever let the facts get in the way of a story.

Yeah ... the thread popped up in today's new stuff, and I scrolled back to the start. I didn't notice that it was an antique until after I posted my reply.

Anyone taking Dave YoYo's advice has rocks in his head! The smart move when confronted by any authority in Thailand is to be polite and co-operative, and if the suggestion of an "on-the-spot fine" is made, pay it. Mouthing off can quite easily get you a biffing and a couple of nights in the lockup, and in a worst-case scenario, maybe an extra-judical bullet in the head while "resisting arrest" or "trying to escape".

A really good post Rod. The official with the uniform always wins. Being a smartass doesn't help an iota, and more likely to cause more problems than it is worth.

[falux]

Some guys here must be confused...

I totally agree that drug dealers get caught and punished, but 99 years for a 19 year old is totally out of range! Even in Asia/LOS. Luckily enough, I have no interest in drugs or anything else that would put me in legal danger here, but here's my comment:

What about 10 years in prison? The punishment would be to waste his total 20's, and get out (at about my age) without all the fun, tragedies, love stories, travelling, experiences, good and bad, but with the hope for a new life!!!???

Anybody here commenting that he deserves it, I wish you the same experience. You salivate your messages out, sure enough under drugs, otherwise you wouldn’t post that crap. 99 years for a 19 year old… Two years earlier, he was a child!

[Begs]

99 years for a 19 year old… Two years earlier, he was a child!

I agree, it's a hard sentence. But at the end of the day, he did his crime in Thailand and a Thai Kid of 19 would have got the same sentence, or may have been executed.

In Singapore he would have been given the mandatory death sentence, there are no alternatives.

In Singapore you only need over 15 Grammes of Heroin or Cocaine, or 500 grammes of Grass, and you are history. Only opium gets a bit of a break with a limit of 1.2 Kgs before the mandatory death sentence is given.

That Kid will get out after a few years and be sent back to UK, where he will be looked after in a Cat 'D' nick, get a job outside, then will be released on License if he is still classed as a 'Lifer'.

Lucky it was Thailand and not Singapore.

[rod_kalashnikov]