Big Trouble In Bangkok

[KNJ]

100k is too much, that is unless they think he has it to spare.

It is a minor offence, it will be fine and deprtation

[nwh1]

A similar incident (well reported on Thaivisa) occurred to a guy called Rick in Phuket. He was arrested and charged for possession of a single joint.

Rick was actually given his passport back along with a police letter in order to go to immigration where they issued an extension of his visa based on the fact he had to make appearances at the Court. He considered skipping bail at this point but decided it may be risky. It took almost two months, with two-weely reports to the Court, before his case finally went in front of a judge. NB he had no idea he was appaering in Court that day, expecting just a regular bail report.

FYI Rick was fined 10,000 baht and was deported. I visited him at the immigration cell which he shared with about 50 Burmese. Not nice!

Thanks for this information.

[farang000999]

Social Darwinism either way.

[nwh1]

Thanks all for the useful replies. He should be emailing me the court documents sometime today. He is still in BKK and I am up-country. My wife will look them over and see what they say.

[Kilgore Trout]

Here is what will happen;

Forget about getting the money back (bail) it wont happen,.

He will wait till his court date and probably be fined around 1-2 thousand baht.

Than, because his visa has expired, he will spend around 2 weeks in imm. detention until he is deported and blacklisted (unless he can convince immigration to let him stay in the kingdom; this will only happen if you know some Thais with decent connections).

Good luck

[farang000999]

Than, because his visa has expired, he will spend around 2 weeks in imm. detention until he is deported and blacklisted (unless he can convince immigration to let him stay in the kingdom; this will only happen if you know some Thais with decent connections).

Do guys with connections score drugs off tuk tuk drivers and sleep in cells with 50 Burmese dudes?

[Tonto21]

I don't wish your friend any harm, he'll get out the country sooner or later, but will he learn from this…I would bet a pound to a pinch of shit, he'll blaze-up the night he gets home.

Funny thing, most pot smokers say; "weeds OK, doesn't do any harm"………………… Why does the OP's friend need anti-anxiety medications, wouldn't be the weed making him paranoid would it?

[robblok]

I don't wish your friend any harm, he'll get out the country sooner or later, but will he learn from this…I would bet a pound to a pinch of shit, he'll blaze-up the night he gets home.

Funny thing, most pot smokers say; "weeds OK, doesn't do any harm"………………… Why does the OP's friend need anti-anxiety medications, wouldn't be the weed making him paranoid would it?

Alcohol has much worse side effects and is much more destructive. Just look at people dying by drunk drivers (then check on ppl stoned on weed and driving).

Just look at all the livers that are destroyed, families because of bad drunks.

Alcohol however is legal.. never hear any expats bitch about alcohol though.

Anyway I don't use weed, but i did way back in Holland. I would not use drugs in this country. Much too dangerous, dont want to loose what i build up here.

[Johnniey]

Here is what will happen;

Forget about getting the money back (bail) it wont happen,.

He will wait till his court date and probably be fined around 1-2 thousand baht.

Than, because his visa has expired, he will spend around 2 weeks in imm. detention until he is deported and blacklisted (unless he can convince immigration to let him stay in the kingdom; this will only happen if you know some Thais with decent connections).

Good luck

Agreed. Someone said 100k - where on earth did that number come from?

This is a minor offense.

[Tywais]

Marijuana Laws and Arrests in Thailand

Arrests for marijuana possession are very common in Thailand. Arrests of foreigners and tourists normally occur in tourist areas. Although drug offenses are treated seriously in Thailand, cases of possession of small amounts of marijuana (“cannabis” or “ganja” as it is referred to in Thailand), are treated less seriously than many other forms of illegal drugs.

Frequently a marijuana arrest will occur after a person is apprehended smoking in public. Persons arrested often suspect that they have been informed on by someone that they met earlier. In other cases, persons believe that they have been informed on by a guest house or hotel proprietors.

For simple use of marijuana in small amounts, the offense is punishable by a fine of no more than 50,000 Baht and/or imprisonment of not more than 5 years. For possession of larger amounts of marijuana, or trafficking of marijuana, penalties are substantially more serious.

There are also serious immigration consequences for a marijuana arrest. In addition to being deported by immigration, there is also the possibility of being “blacklisted” from returning to the Kingdom.

Thailand Lawyer

Of course that is worse case. A topic in 2009 the individual was fined 2,500 Baht and one year probation. Post here

[Tonto21]

I don't wish your friend any harm, he'll get out the country sooner or later, but will he learn from this…I would bet a pound to a pinch of shit, he'll blaze-up the night he gets home.

Funny thing, most pot smokers say; "weeds OK, doesn't do any harm"………………… Why does the OP's friend need anti-anxiety medications, wouldn't be the weed making him paranoid would it?

Alcohol has much worse side effects and is much more destructive. Just look at people dying by drunk drivers (then check on ppl stoned on weed and driving).

Just look at all the livers that are destroyed, families because of bad drunks.

Alcohol however is legal.. never hear any expats bitch about alcohol though.

Anyway I don't use weed, but i did way back in Holland. I would not use drugs in this country. Much too dangerous, dont want to loose what i build up here.

Fair comment....................But the topic is about weed.

[smokie36]

Here is what will happen;

Forget about getting the money back (bail) it wont happen,.

He will wait till his court date and probably be fined around 1-2 thousand baht.

Than, because his visa has expired, he will spend around 2 weeks in imm. detention until he is deported and blacklisted (unless he can convince immigration to let him stay in the kingdom; this will only happen if you know some Thais with decent connections).

Good luck

Agreed. Someone said 100k - where on earth did that number come from?

This is a minor offense.

Perhaps I erred a bit to far on the safe/high side there.....anyway.....

Edited September 13, 2011 by smokie36

[lannarebirth]

Your friend can plead guilty and receive a fine in the region probably 100k Baht. Or he could plead not guilty and continue to pay bail money for however long it takes for a trial date to be set. Then he will be found guilty and probably get a few months in the slammer.

Up to him isn't it? All the talk of doing a runner aint going to happen....and the Embassy will likely take a dim view of your friend. Rightly so in my opinion.

Thanks for this info. Is 100k the standard possession fine? Why did they tell him he would get 10k back when he appears?

There is no "standard" possession fine but if he is young first offence and just one joint then I can't see it being more than that...even if the judge is having a bad day.

Not sure about the returned bail money. All I can say is I had a friend who's daughter was in prison awaiting trial for yabba possession. By paying a lawyer some cash she was able to get the daughter out on bail for a while. Of course this money was never seen again.

Best your friend goes to court and pleads guilty. The visa thing is not a concern and will be waived.

Actually, I think the prescription meds are his bigger problem.. Maybe 5k fine in court for a joint. The meds can become as a big an issue as they want to make it.

[robblok]

I don't wish your friend any harm, he'll get out the country sooner or later, but will he learn from this…I would bet a pound to a pinch of shit, he'll blaze-up the night he gets home.

Funny thing, most pot smokers say; "weeds OK, doesn't do any harm"………………… Why does the OP's friend need anti-anxiety medications, wouldn't be the weed making him paranoid would it?

Alcohol has much worse side effects and is much more destructive. Just look at people dying by drunk drivers (then check on ppl stoned on weed and driving).

Just look at all the livers that are destroyed, families because of bad drunks.

Alcohol however is legal.. never hear any expats bitch about alcohol though.

Anyway I don't use weed, but i did way back in Holland. I would not use drugs in this country. Much too dangerous, dont want to loose what i build up here.

Fair comment....................But the topic is about weed.

I just hate hypocrisy putting weed down as dangerous as alcohol is far more dangerous and damaging. Its illegal here he should not have done it. Done but don't say how dangerous and vile it is when it is not.

Im pretty sure most foreigners who put weed down as dangerous drink their fair share of alcohol.

Anyway i cant be bothered by its danger either way.

[Beetlejuice]

How did the Yank know that the Tuk Tuk driver had some marijuana?

Why did the police appear on the scene? Were they given a tip off, was the Tuk Tuk driver an undercover policeman or what?

Was the Tuk Tuk driver also arrested?

What do you mean by he/we? Is this actually about the newbie, or was the newbie and his so called friend together at the time?

And why should the American Embassy become involved?

Without being in view of the full picture, it is impossible to answer the newbie.

This whole story doesn't make sense and if the newbie cannot elaborate further, then this is a troll thread.

I think my friend learned that TukTuk drivers sell dope while he was in Laos or Cambodia. It is common knowledge that motorcycle taxis do. I dont know why the police appeared on the scene. As far as I know, the Tuktuk driver was not arrested. This happened to my friend, not me. I got a phone call at 1am last night from him. He'd been released earlier in the day. I dont understand why think think this is BS. My friend was probably drunk at the time. He had taken a bus from northern Thailand down to Bangkok and it happened pretty much right after he got off the bus.

So how did the guy know that the Tuk Tuk driver sold dope?

Do Tuk Tuks ring a bell or something like an ice cream float? Or was he going around all day asking which Tuk Tuk drivers are supplying drugs?

And I can`t understand how the said Tuk Tuk driver avoided arrest, as surely he committed the most serious offence of dealing.

For the police to have any sort of criminal case against your friend, then he would have to explain from where or who he obtained the dope.

Sorry, but this setup seems totally weird and either someone is pulling the wool over the OPs eyes or there is a lot more to this.

[Mirth]

Every embassy and consul will give almost the same robotic answer, which is respect the law of the land you're in. Furthest they would go will be to provide a list of legal assistance to call. Only time an embassy or consul interferes in any malfraction abroad is when the case becomes BIG and hits hometown, remember the bar mat incident? Anyway, your friend is on bail without a passport, only thing he can do is to get a lawyer, have his passport returned with a letter from the court for extension and duly return the passport upon extention. Alternatively, he can pay a higher bond not to surrender his passport back to the courts upon extention cos he's considered a flight risk, being a foreigner. Whatever option your friend choose, he will still have to answer for his actions unless he flee the country and choose never to return again. Frankly speaking, he will be deported and banned after all this is over anyway.

One more thing, your friend is rather stupid to be smoking hash in BKK or anywhere in Thailand when for the past few week, the govt have been going on and on about clamping down on drugs and gambling.

[Mirth]

Maybe he bought it from him before, saw him sell to another bloke or was approached by the tuk tuk driver. The latter is the biggest possibility cos i was approached before.

As for the tuk tuk driver not being arrested, users and carriers are arrested, never dealers or suppliers.

The police will always claim that they did a routine check and they do have the power to check on the said "suspect" cos he was behaving lucid, implying he was on drugs.

C'mon guys, we are in Thailand, what seems complicated is easy and what seems easy becomes a hassle.

So how did the guy know that the Tuk Tuk driver sold dope?

Do Tuk Tuks ring a bell or something like an ice cream float? Or was he going around all day asking which Tuk Tuk drivers are supplying drugs?

And I can`t understand how the said Tuk Tuk driver avoided arrest, as surely he committed the most serious offence of dealing.

For the police to have any sort of criminal case against your friend, then he would have to explain from where or who he obtained the dope.

Sorry, but this setup seems totally weird and either someone is pulling the wool over the OPs eyes or there is a lot more to this.

[Kilgore Trout]

Do guys with connections score drugs off tuk tuk drivers

Don't mean that kind of connection smart guy; but a respected Thai on your side can easily offer a gift to the right person to keep from being deported. Just because he's looking for weed (in all the wrong places) doesn't mean he doesn't know a respectable Thai willing to help him. Then again, many Thais will decline to get involved.

[toybits]

Your friend obviously has not watched cable programs like "Locked Up Abroad". Feel sorry for this dude. But he should have known better than to mess around with drugs in Asia. Would have been better for him to have been caught in his own country. You wonder what motivates them...

[farang000999]

Just because he's looking for weed (in all the wrong places) doesn't mean he doesn't know a respectable Thai willing to help him.

it usually does imho.

[KimoMax]

Your Friend needs to contact a Thai Attorney.

He can then decide later if to try to get a new Passport.

Be aware that it will be known to all Immigration around the world if you have a lost or stolen passport that you are replacing. Don't know if that info is encoded in the passport or not, but after I had a lost passport, I had been questioned many times around the world about my previous lost passport.

The 10,000 original was for Bail surely. Whatever fine or sentence will likely be handed down on the Court Date.

The court will take care of the Visa problem, no need to worry about getting locked up for over staying the Visa.

Your friend is in the Custody of Thailand at the moment.

Edited September 13, 2011 by KimoMax

[Mario2008]

Best plan of action? Go to court on the date given. A single joint isn't a big deal. If he's lying about what happened and he was really caught with a kilo of coke up his rectum that's a different story.

His brig problem is that his visa wxpires before he goes to court. THis means that after the case when he walks out the door of the court if he does, the immigration police will arrest him and detain him for deportation. If his visa has been extended they cannot do this.

Up on evidence that he is involved in a court proceding he can get an extension of stay from immigration for 90 days at a time. The embassy can probably tell him how to arrrange for that in his situation.

[Tonto21]

I don't wish your friend any harm, he'll get out the country sooner or later, but will he learn from this…I would bet a pound to a pinch of shit, he'll blaze-up the night he gets home.

Funny thing, most pot smokers say; "weeds OK, doesn't do any harm"………………… Why does the OP's friend need anti-anxiety medications, wouldn't be the weed making him paranoid would it?

Alcohol has much worse side effects and is much more destructive. Just look at people dying by drunk drivers (then check on ppl stoned on weed and driving).

Just look at all the livers that are destroyed, families because of bad drunks.

Alcohol however is legal.. never hear any expats bitch about alcohol though.

Anyway I don't use weed, but i did way back in Holland. I would not use drugs in this country. Much too dangerous, dont want to loose what i build up here.

Fair comment....................But the topic is about weed.

I just hate hypocrisy putting weed down as dangerous as alcohol is far more dangerous and damaging. Its illegal here he should not have done it. Done but don't say how dangerous and vile it is when it is not.

Im pretty sure most foreigners who put weed down as dangerous drink their fair share of alcohol.

Anyway i cant be bothered by its danger either way.

OK 'robblok'…………..'Hypocrisy', two-facedness, insincerity or double standards, really? Where did I say 'weed' is worse than alcohol……..Where did I mention alcohol in my post? Got smoke in your eyes or what?

I judge 'weed' or any illegal drug, each on their own merit. Comparing one drug against another…………You are joking, right?

Users of illegal drugs, at first sight of an attack on their drug of choice tend to try any number of come-backs on you; they will tell you that alcohol and cigarettes are far worse,(recognize this one) or my favorite is being told, or an attempt is made to make you feel that you're out of step with the world and …..Be little you.

People who defend smoking weed by it being harmless are deluded, (and paranoid) to waffle on about another drug, (alcohol) in an attempt to deflect criticism to there drug of choice.

Fact is I agree with you about alcohol, but come on, don't try and use it make out your obvious drug of choice is free of creating or heightening some serious mental condition, and then….Cheeky 'Git', you have a go at me for agreeing with you about alcohol!

So...........put your handbag away….And remember just becouse your paranoid it doesn't mean your not being watched!

[robblok]

Tonto, I am not using weed have not done so since I arrived her 6 years ago. If you want proof , could always go to a police station and do a pee test. Seems your the paranoid one not me.

If I could choose I'd use weed over alcohol but her it's not safe to do so. I got too much to loose here to try. I was not having a go at you, just that many claim on how dangerous we'd is and then drink themselves to death or get violent from it.

The guy is stupid for doing it here.

In doubt weed is totally harmless but it's also not as bad as many make us believe. I never really used it long, maybe 5 months of my life so I would not know about long term.

[nocturn]

get your friend a REAL LAWYER and quit asking questions of opinionated geriatrics who don't have a clue.

[Tonto21]

Tonto, I am not using weed have not done so since I arrived her 6 years ago. If you want proof , could always go to a police station and do a pee test. Seems your the paranoid one not me.

If I could choose I'd use weed over alcohol but her it's not safe to do so. I got too much to loose here to try. I was not having a go at you, just that many claim on how dangerous we'd is and then drink themselves to death or get violent from it.

The guy is stupid for doing it here.

In doubt weed is totally harmless but it's also not as bad as many make us believe. I never really used it long, maybe 5 months of my life so I would not know about long term.

No worries, you say you don't use and for what it's worth, I've no reason to doubt you. But let's not start pissing in police stations OK………..

[norrona]

get your friend a REAL LAWYER and quit asking questions of opinionated geriatrics who don't have a clue.

+1

[Semper]

@ nwh1

On a side note, the conditions in the prison were disgusting so a quick reminder to everyone to keep it clean while in Thailand.

I hope your friend will learn from this "experience". Thailand is not Kansas.

[robblok]

Tonto, I am not using weed have not done so since I arrived her 6 years ago. If you want proof , could always go to a police station and do a pee test. Seems your the paranoid one not me.

If I could choose I'd use weed over alcohol but her it's not safe to do so. I got too much to loose here to try. I was not having a go at you, just that many claim on how dangerous we'd is and then drink themselves to death or get violent from it.

The guy is stupid for doing it here.

In doubt weed is totally harmless but it's also not as bad as many make us believe. I never really used it long, maybe 5 months of my life so I would not know about long term.

No worries, you say you don't use and for what it's worth, I've no reason to doubt you. But let's not start pissing in police stations OK………..

Im sure i could get into troubles if i pissed against a police station. Maybe even more as smoking a joint

I really would not want to be a foreigner at the mercy of the police

[Beetlejuice]

get your friend a REAL LAWYER and quit asking questions of opinionated geriatrics who don't have a clue.

How dare you.

I maybe opinionated and don`t have a clue, but I`m not quite yet a geriatric.

Edited September 13, 2011 by Beetlejuice