US Drug Fugitive Detained In Thailand: Police

[webfact]

US drug fugitive detained in Thailand: police

BANGKOK, March 26, 2012 (AFP) - Thai police have arrested a fugitive drug convict from the United States more than two decades after he fled prison in his home country, officials said on Monday.

James Harold Sargent, 62, was detained in northern Chiang Mai on Friday after police found that he entered Thailand in October with a tourist visa before changing to a retirement visa.

His visa was revoked and he will be handed over to US officials, Police Lieutenant Colonel Prasart Khemaprasit said.

Sargent was arrested in 1987 with 100 kilos (220 pounds) of cocaine and sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the Thai authorities.

He fled from jail in California in 1990 and has since been on the run in the United States and several other countries, they said.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-03-26

[ratcatcher]

Good work B.I.B.

[Pib]

Wonder what tip/clue/etc allowed the authorities to determine he was a fugitive. When he entered Thailand in October the BIB didn't spot/arrest him then.

[Gone]

Good work B.I.B.

I think it was more the eyes of Immigration in this case. Gotta love cold cases

[bartender100]

Probably his money ran out after 20 years, no more protection being paid, just a guess.

[Ulysses G.]

Too bad he got caught. I was always partial to a Coke.

[Jingthing]

He had a good run!

[BookMan]

Maybe they spotted the fake passport

[crusader79]

I wonder where he's been these 20 years? If all or mostly in Thailand he's probably ready for a long rest.

[Nisa]

Good job. I always feel a bit of pitty though for guys like this who have been able to keep their head under the radar (police) for so long. I want to believe they turned their life around in that time I suspect this guy was either still up to no good or made a heck of a lot in the drug trade back in the day he was still living off of.

[geriatrickid]

Wonder if it was US DEA or Marshals that did the job? Sizeable headcount for the DEA in Thailand.

[ianf]

Wonder if it was US DEA or Marshals that did the job? Sizeable headcount for the DEA in Thailand.

What's sad about this guy is that whilst on the run he met and married an American woman and they live(d) in Chiang Mai with their 12-year-old son. Sadly, its the kid that suffers in the end. Apparently she didn't know about her husband's background.

[PattayaPhom]

Wonder if it was US DEA or Marshals that did the job? Sizeable headcount for the DEA in Thailand.

What's sad about this guy is that whilst on the run he met and married an American woman and they live(d) in Chiang Mai with their 12-year-old son. Sadly, its the kid that suffers in the end. Apparently she didn't know about her husband's background.

So 2 foreirners with a kid living in Thailand, were they working???...........where were they getting money from?..probably from his shady past if it wasnt from still dealing now.....no sympathy for drug dealers whatsoever and yes it is the kid that suffers.

[chrisinth]

Wonder if it was US DEA or Marshals that did the job? Sizeable headcount for the DEA in Thailand.

What's sad about this guy is that whilst on the run he met and married an American woman and they live(d) in Chiang Mai with their 12-year-old son. Sadly, its the kid that suffers in the end. Apparently she didn't know about her husband's background.

So 2 foreirners with a kid living in Thailand, were they working???...........where were they getting money from?..probably from his shady past if it wasnt from still dealing now.....no sympathy for drug dealers whatsoever and yes it is the kid that suffers.

Can't really tell what the guy has done for the past 22 years on the run. Changed his identity, become respectable? Or as has been suggested living off illegal earnings aquired prior to conviction and remaining in the drug trade to date?

Would be interesting to know how he was tracked if he was on a new identity, and equally interesting to know how he managed to evade law enforcement for so long if he was using his proper name.

[Puwa]

I wonder if he jumped bail in 1990 or actually escaped from detention. Escape is always a neat trick.

[happysanook]

Wonder what tip/clue/etc allowed the authorities to determine he was a fugitive. When he entered Thailand in October the BIB didn't spot/arrest him then.

a google web and news search turns up nothing about this guy

[Nisa]

So, are we to assume they actually run checks on people at immigration as well as this guy using his own name and info?

[Bagwan]

He should have gone to Brazil and married a local girl a la Ronnie Biggs.

[culicine]

Wonder if it was US DEA or Marshals that did the job? Sizeable headcount for the DEA in Thailand.

What's sad about this guy is that whilst on the run he met and married an American woman and they live(d) in Chiang Mai with their 12-year-old son. Sadly, its the kid that suffers in the end. Apparently she didn't know about her husband's background.

So 2 foreirners with a kid living in Thailand, were they working???...........where were they getting money from?..probably from his shady past if it wasnt from still dealing now.....no sympathy for drug dealers whatsoever and yes it is the kid that suffers.

Can't really tell what the guy has done for the past 22 years on the run. Changed his identity, become respectable? Or as has been suggested living off illegal earnings aquired prior to conviction and remaining in the drug trade to date?

Would be interesting to know how he was tracked if he was on a new identity, and equally interesting to know how he managed to evade law enforcement for so long if he was using his proper name.

Maybe the truth will become known once he publishes his first book from behind bars. Could be a nice little earner !!

[CHANGOVER]

I wonder if he jumped bail in 1990 or actually escaped from detention. Escape is always a neat trick.

'He fled from jail in California in 1990' -sounds like he 'escaped'.

[WarpSpeed]

He had a good run!

Yep it always makes me think those 20 years he was still free and living his life now he can retire in prison for the duration with full medical and dental (better then medicare), 3 squares a day, cable TV, A/C, cards or some other sort of prison activities and he's really lost nothing for those 20 years. He's not likely to be harassed by too many other younger inmates they're to busy chest pounding with other younger inmates..

If he stayed in prison he'd just be getting out now and he'd be getting out when life is so much harder and he'd be too old to do anything but struggle and become a homeless person or end up repeating just to get arrested and having missed those years, in cases like this, kind of hard to argue that crime doesn't pay..

Edited March 26, 2012 by WarpSpeed

[WarpSpeed]

What's sad about this guy is that whilst on the run he met and married an American woman and they live(d) in Chiang Mai with their 12-year-old son. Sadly, its the kid that suffers in the end. Apparently she didn't know about her husband's background.

So 2 foreirners with a kid living in Thailand, were they working???...........where were they getting money from?..probably from his shady past if it wasnt from still dealing now.....no sympathy for drug dealers whatsoever and yes it is the kid that suffers.

Can't really tell what the guy has done for the past 22 years on the run. Changed his identity, become respectable? Or as has been suggested living off illegal earnings aquired prior to conviction and remaining in the drug trade to date?

Would be interesting to know how he was tracked if he was on a new identity, and equally interesting to know how he managed to evade law enforcement for so long if he was using his proper name.

Maybe the truth will become known once he publishes his first book from behind bars. Could be a nice little earner !!

Except they have laws now against profiting from crimes by selling your story in any manner..

[Pseudolus]

Wonder what tip/clue/etc allowed the authorities to determine he was a fugitive. When he entered Thailand in October the BIB didn't spot/arrest him then.

a google web and news search turns up nothing about this guy

Does chuck up this story though in The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/12/07/national/Large-drug-busts-in-Bangkok-30143874.html

"

Briton James Sargeant, 59, and Australian Stephen John Pedrotta, 47, were arrested with 2.2 kilograms of cocaine.

Police said Sargeant flew over from Cambodia with the drugs after a police agent offered to buy the cocaine for Bt3.75 million.

The Thai men arrested with 3kg of "ice" were Suriya Somprayoon, 45, and Thanawat Patboonyanan, 49. Police said Suriya said an inmate at Klong Prem Prison, called "Yut" had hired them to sell the drug. According to police, the suspects were paid Bt150,000 to sell the drugs. They were nabbed after a police agent offered to buy the drugs for Bt4.95 million."

s

Weird - same name (almost), same age now, same offence, different passport? LOL - maybe the BiB did indeed know who he was right up until the moment he stopped giving them their cut after retirement lol

[DP25]

He should have gone to Brazil and married a local girl a la Ronnie Biggs.

That's a good plan. Thailand isn't a good place to hide, they'll deport you fast once they realize you are wanted. And if someone is actively looking for you, it is hard to hide since you are such a tiny ethnic minority. You need to move to a place where they won't send you back.

[belg]

isn't there a statute of limitation for this poor coka cola light dealer

100 kg, that is a lot of powder to mix

[anterian]

I wonder if he jumped bail in 1990 or actually escaped from detention. Escape is always a neat trick.

I was wondering this also, "He fled from jail in California in 1990" is it that easy?

[animatic]

Good work B.I.B.

I think it was more the eyes of Immigration in this case. Gotta love cold cases

I think it's more FBI tracking than anything else.

[BigSkip]

another one bites the dust...............

[BigSkip]

another one bites the dust............... sells the dust.....something like that..........

[strollling]

isn't there a statute of limitation for this poor coka cola light dealer

A statute of limitation on prison escapees.

I severely doubt it.