Pattaya Brit Gets 30 Years For Drug Smuggling

[JSixpack]

Drugs smuggler gets 30 years in Thai jail

A SPALDING man has been sentenced to 30 years in a Thai jail after he was caught apparently trying to smuggle drugs into the country.

The Lincolnshire Free Press has learnt that Thai police claim to have discovered 240 pills hidden in Scott William Hurford's clothes in March last year.

Mr Hurford is then said to have confessed to police to buying the drugs in Cambodia to sell on to tourists.

On March 1 this year Mr Hurford (30) was given a 30-year prison sentence for drugs offences in Kaew Court, Thailand.

The Foreign Office has refused to give the Lincolnshire Free Press Mr Hurford's British address or details of the charges he stood trial for on confidentiality grounds.

The spokesman would also not discuss how long Mr Hurford will have to remain in Thailand.

A spokesman from the press office said: "It is consulate confidentiality. We do not give out information about other people without their consent. It is standard practice."

The Lincolnshire Free Press has made attempts to locate Mr Hurford's British address and was informed of two addresses in Campbells Close and Commercial Road, Spalding.

We approached the house in Campbells Close but residents refused to comment and closed the door.

The Lincolnshire Free Press also tried to find the address in Commercial Road but was told that it was sold on.

Mr Hurford was arrested on March 19, 2005, at 4.20pm at the Aranyaphrathet checkpoint on the Thai/Cambodian border.

Police say they found 238 flat, round, orange tablets marked with "WY" and two round green "Yaa Baa" tablets, which were also marked with "WY", along with a small blue plastic bag for holding the drugs.

Yaa Baa, or crazy medicine as it is known in Thailand, is methamphetamine and is said to be very popular in the country.

Last March Mr Hurford was charged with bringing type one illegal drugs into the country and having type one illegal drugs in his possession for distribution.

According to Thai police, Mr Hurford said he bought the drugs on the Boybet side in Cambodia for 40 baht per pill(59p) from a Cambodian man.

He is also said to have confessed to buying the 240 pills to sell to tourists at Pattaya, Chonburi Province, where Mr Hurford was staying.

14 March 2006

source: Spalding Today

[Mighty Mouse]

A dopey thing to do.

[Kerryd]

A dopey thing to do.

Lucky he didn't get the death penalty. But then again, 30 years in Thai prison will probably make him wish they had given him death.

Hmmmm, 240 yaa baa tabs at 40 baht each = 9,600 baht. I'm not positive, but I think I read in another news thread that the going rate is 300 baht per tab (on the streets in Pattaya) ?

240 x 300 = 72,000 baht, or 62,400 profit (about 915 GBPs or $1,600 US).

30 years in prison for what would have been less than 2 weeks wages for me while I was in Afghanistan.

Of course, people like this rarely think they'll ever get caught, and there seems to be more idiots like this showing up all the time.

[kurgen]

I think he's done rather well out of it.

Not all of us can afford to stay in Thailand for the next 30 years without working.

Free board and lodgings

He'll learn to speak Thai very quickly.

Also think of the time and money he's saved on visa runs .

and at the end of his holiday he gets a free flight home.

a very clever man

[somchai jones]

I think he's done rather well out of it.

Not all of us can afford to stay in Thailand for the next 30 years without working.

Free board and lodgings

He'll learn to speak Thai very quickly.

Also think of the time and money he's saved on visa runs .

and at the end of his holiday he gets a free flight home.

a very clever man

I dare say he'll be the centre of attention in the showers as well!

[PREM-R]

And Lots Of Free SEX - OOOO ER

[Kerryd]

I think he's done rather well out of it.

Not all of us can afford to stay in Thailand for the next 30 years without working.

Do they have work (or "chain") gangs in Thai prisons ? What do they do all day ?

Free board and lodgings

The quality is probably less than he was used to. Good weight loss program though

He'll learn to speak Thai very quickly.

"Yes Boss. No Boss. Bend over and bite the pillow again Boss ?"

Also think of the time and money he's saved on visa runs .

Does he still have to do the 90 day reporting thing ?

and at the end of his holiday he gets a free flight home.

(Silly. The Thai government should charge him for the airfare. If he can't afford it, keep him in jail !)

a very clever man

Sounds like something everyone should go for !

[skippybangkok]

A dopey thing to do.

30 years in prison for what would have been less than 2 weeks wages for me while I was in Afghanistan.

Waow.... considering the risks you need to take in Afghanistan, they dont pay much.

Agreed that it is a stupid thing to do....... but..... there is sure to be some idot waiting to be the next in line. Maybe they should join the Darwin Awards

DarwinAwards

[lovethailandlongtime]

And well done to Jsixpack for trawling the internet for a follow up to this story....

[Noel]

What, no outrage from the ‘Free the Gerbils!’ brigade about the severity of the sentence?

Hmm, perhaps they have moved on to support the ‘Save the Turnip’ campaign…

[mrbojangles]

What, no outrage from the ‘Free the Gerbils!’ brigade about the severity of the sentence?

Hmm, perhaps they have moved on to support the ‘Save the Turnip’ campaign…

And this drug smuggler definately belongs to the Turnip family, the "Brigade" might be around soon, afterall

[lamphun]

1. Gormless expat buys drugs from man in street.

2. Man in street tells police.

3. Police reward drug seller and arrest gormless expat.

One of my first experiences of Thailand was an undercover cop trying to sell me drugs at the grand palace.

[the gent]

I honestly do not get you guys.

The wretch is an easy patsy for a draconian system that continually favours the rich and advantaged over the poor and stupid. In any civilized country such a sentence, preposterously disproportionate to the crime, would draw condemnation from every quarter. But here in Thailand you mock and gloat with scarcely contained glee eager to spout sanctimonious slogans like " hey buddy, if you can't do the time don't do the crime " or " ee knew wot he wuz gettin' into" as if they were some justification for the absurd punishment.

The reality is of course the illicit drug industry in this country depends on those very people who are responsible for consigning another farang to a lifetime of misery for an offence that is trivial at worst. I don't see that as cause for your ribald cackling but more of a matter of sorrow.

Then again, you could all just be a bunch of pricks.

Edited March 16, 2006 by the gent

[mrbojangles]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And the "Brigade" have arrived

Gent, it isn't a closely guarded secret as to what happens, if caught drug smuggling in Thailand. In fact, it is the total opposite, they openly inform you as to what will happen. So why do these people continue to try and do it???

BTW, if you consider me a prick, for doing a honest days work, getting paid and paying my Taxes. So be it

[skippybangkok]

Yep...Brigade has arrived. Hard to be sympathetic to drug dealers...unless of course.........

I know alot of people here who have been here for 10, 20 or 30 years hold down decent jobs, and have never had such problems, or been squared away. If your the type who skirts around the periphery of that world, and every now and takes a chance with playing with fire....... yes, you might get burnt for things you did do, or possibly got set up.

If you stay far away from that environment, I doubt you would ever have such issues unless you are very unlucky.

Should think him self lucky, if it was Singapore, the gallows are tyically employed instead of life sentances.

Edited March 16, 2006 by skippybangkok

[britmaveric]

30yrs is plenty of time to think about his stupidity!

[jdinasia]

hmmmm doesn't Thailand pretty regularly keep these guys for about 7 years and then work something out with the UK or Oz to send them home? (theorhetically to serve out the sentence but in actuality they typically get Paroled soon after getting home)

[Mobi]

hmmmm doesn't Thailand pretty regularly keep these guys for about 7 years and then work something out with the UK or Oz to send them home? (theorhetically to serve out the sentence but in actuality they typically get Paroled soon after getting home)

From what I understand, England pretty much plays by the rules (they bloody would wouldn't they?) but most other European countries, particularly France, parole them very quickly.

The Thais couldn't give a toss. They've got rid of them and that's the end of the matter - as far as they are concerned they put the nasty farang away for a long sentence and it will be served. So no face is lost. The Brits don't understand this, surprise surprise.

No idea about Australia.

[lovethailandlongtime]

hmmmm doesn't Thailand pretty regularly keep these guys for about 7 years and then work something out with the UK or Oz to send them home? (theorhetically to serve out the sentence but in actuality they typically get Paroled soon after getting home)

As a uk subject,the best he can hope for is a a pardon..

He maybe pardoned,part of the way through his prison term..When pardons are considered,People who are serving time for offences involving drugs are less likely to recieve leniency than,say someone serving time for murder or rape..

However,he will be eligible for deportation to the uk after serving half (15 years) of the sentence,where upon arrival he will have to serve the remainder (15 years) in a uk prison..

[Prakanong2005]

Its a lot less than half of his sentence that he has to serve before he can be transferred to a UK prison - I think a life has to serve only 8 years and someone with a fixed sentence has to serve a proportion with a max fixed lower than the lifer.

This is a PDF of the agreement from the FCO site

http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/Print%20...%20pages),0.pdf

I think it will be about 4 years he will have to serve (Remand counts I think) and this site would tend to support that

http://www.phaseloop.com/foreignprisoners/...ve_willcox.html

He will not come under the UK Parole system though and will only be released upon reduction of sentence by Thailand - Sandara Gregory's book is good on that point.

From what I can remember from Gregory's book Aussies get 2 years off for every year in a Thai prison and Americans 6 for every one but the Brits get stuck with the total according to the agreement.

What other countries do can be a farce - some will not extradite their citizens to Thailand even for serious offences ie the Belgian who killed his girlfriend (allegedley)

Saying that Belgium has not even got a extradition treaty with bloody Italy !

[snoophound]

Point is

Anyone with half a brain knows this is the deal you get.

So why do it???

Sure the sentences are harsh and not your chav holiday camp in your british prisons,but can you really say he was dumb enough not to know the risk??

I honestly do not get you guys.

The wretch is an easy patsy for a draconian system that continually favours the rich and advantaged over the poor and stupid. In any civilized country such a sentence, preposterously disproportionate to the crime, would draw condemnation from every quarter. But here in Thailand you mock and gloat with scarcely contained glee eager to spout sanctimonious slogans like " hey buddy, if you can't do the time don't do the crime " or " ee knew wot he wuz gettin' into" as if they were some justification for the absurd punishment.

The reality is of course the illicit drug industry in this country depends on those very people who are responsible for consigning another farang to a lifetime of misery for an offence that is trivial at worst. I don't see that as cause for your ribald cackling but more of a matter of sorrow.

Then again, you could all just be a bunch of pricks.

[Kerryd]

Point is

Anyone with half a brain knows this is the deal you get.

So why do it???

Sure the sentences are harsh and not your chav holiday camp in your british prisons,but can you really say he was dumb enough not to know the risk??

Exactly. The whole point of having harsh sentences is to make people think twice before considering a criminal act (part of it is punishment for the offender, part of it is deterrence for would-be offenders).

How many people, after hearing about a case like this, will be willing to risk 30 years in prison to smuggle drugs into Thailand ?

After hearing about the drug smugglers being hanged in Singapore, how many people will be willing to take the risk and smuggle drugs there ? Or Indonesia ?

Some western countries have huge problems with drug smuggling and addicts, yet the courts increasingly treat the smugglers and trafficers with kid gloves. Then they wonder why the problems are getting worse ?

I used to play hockey with some cops in Vancouver. They were getting very frustrated with the situation. They go out every day and try to get the dealers off the streets, and the courts usually let them back out on the street hours later. Often times, the officer is still completing his arrest paperwork, only to find out the perp is already back on the street dealing again !

They've busted the same people for trafficing over and over again (one guy was arrested and charged 17 times !). The courts have the attitude that the drug problem is a "social problem", not a criminal problem, and therefore they don't want to deal with it.

Let's make this clear. We are not talking about pot/weed dealers. We are talking about hard-core crack and herion dealers, most of them connected to major gangs. Even a lot of the little "home-grow" pot operations are gang controlled (they convince people to grow pot in their homes. It is collected by the gangs and smuggled into the States. It is often sold/traded for cocaine and weapons which are smuggled back into Canada.)

A social problem ? I hardly think so. I think Canada (and some other places) need a little Thaksin-style solution to the problem. Then, the ones who are still standing afterwards, slap them with some 20-30 year prison sentences. Let the kids in school know early what the consequences are for dealing drugs. Keep reminding them until they graduate.

And start getting rid of some of the judges that think the whole affair is nothing to be concerned about. They are a big part of the problem. You have to remember/realize that many of the judges today, were in law school back in the Psychedelic 60's, when drugs and free love were the rage.

They didn't see any problems with a little recreational drug use back then, and many still have the same attitude today.

[alexth]

I'm not saying he wasnt an idiot, but 30 years in a thai prison??? I mean, extasy pills are sold in Europe by some kids and they stop as soon as they get a warning, I'm not protecting the guy, but I think it's too harsh...we've all seen, read and listened about the thai prisons, I guess that about 3 months would be enough to change his view regarding drug smuggling...

[PREM-R]

The guy is lucky he is a 'farang' if he were a Thai he would be in line for the death penalty for drug smuggling. To suggest that he should 'do a few months' is ridiculous

[Kerryd]

I guess that about 3 months would be enough to change his view regarding drug smuggling...

I would disagree. There has been so much press, and many movies, regarding what happens to people that get caught smuggling drugs in Thailand.

Like many others, this guy decided to take the risk anyways, probably assuming the he'd never get caught (because he is oh so much smarter than your average pile of dung).

Give him a short sentence and he would probably laugh, thinking he beat the system that often hangs (shoots) people like him.

He would get out of jail, be sent home, sneak back in to Thailand and probably do it again, now that he is oh so much smarter than he was last time.

[maprao]

A dopey thing to do.

30 years in prison for what would have been less than 2 weeks wages for me while I was in Afghanistan.

Waow.... considering the risks you need to take in Afghanistan, they dont pay much.

sorry off topic but

Wow I agree lousy wages for that part of the world who were you working for???? Even far safer places in the Middle East pay far more than that. I hope you meant 1/2 a weeks wages!!! lol

What made him think he would get away with selling it!!!! anyway even if he got it to patters

[Noel]

Hmmmm, 240 yaa baa tabs at 40 baht each = 9,600 baht. I'm not positive, but I think I read in another news thread that the going rate is 300 baht per tab (on the streets in Pattaya) ?

240 x 300 = 72,000 baht, or 62,400 profit (about 915 GBPs or $1,600 US).

Given the above numbers, it looks suspiciously as if he was looking to finance his next month's living expenses in Pattaya.

Pure conjecture of course, but he could well have been doing a 'drug/visa run' every 30 days for however long.

I have no idea as to whether it is standard practice for farang to be stopped and searched at that border crossing, but I very much doubt it is.

More likely it was some form of set up, and the possibilities include being grassed up by someone travelling with him, the supplier himself, amongst several alternative scenarios.

At the end of the day, however 'Draconian' some bleeding heart members of 'the gentry' feel the penalties for the Thai definition of drug trafficking are in the Kingdom, even Blind Benjamin and Deaf Derek would have to be fully aware of those penalties well in advance.

If the prevailing penalties were not common knowledge, then the 'Cuddle a Crayfish' club might have a point. That, however, is not the case and it probably never even occurred to the idiot in question that he would not get away with it again.

I am sure he is now feeling very, very sorry for himself: sorry he got caught, but not for what he was doing.

Will news of his demise act as a deterrent to other simple minds?

Yes, I believe it will to a certain extent, but there will doubtless be some who will carry on regardless and swagger in to a bar to boast of their 'success' to anyone prepared to listen.

No doubt Tony Blair's 'Deleted Items' folder will be swelling again soon, once the predictable petition is set up by family and friends with 'character references' and passionate bleating about the appalling conditions in the Thai Penal System.

It will not make a scrap of difference as the existing procedures will be followed to the letter.

I take no pleasure whatsoever in learning of this man's situation, but nor do I ooze sympathy.

He knew what he faced if he was caught, but he chose to do it anyway.

Now he must live with the reality of a situation that only he can be blamed for bringing about.

[Pattaya_Fox]

Just another fool who thought that he could flout the Thai laws and escape being caught.

The severity of the sentence will be a warning to other drug pushers who wreak havock amongst the young and vulnerable by selling their poison.

[shadscat]

this guy was obviously hooked on yb so unable to make a sensible decision, rehab not jail is what he needs.

[Kerryd]

30 years in prison for what would have been less than 2 weeks wages for me while I was in Afghanistan.

Waow.... considering the risks you need to take in Afghanistan, they dont pay much.

sorry off topic but

Wow I agree lousy wages for that part of the world who were you working for???? Even far safer places in the Middle East pay far more than that. I hope you meant 1/2 a weeks wages!!! lol

Well, the wages I got in Afghanistan were better than I was making as a Sergeant back in Canada.

There were the extra benefits (free meals and lodgings such as they were, 4 paid days of vacation every month, free flight to your "Point of Hire" every 6 months, medical, dental). The one really good benefit I had, had nothing to do with my contract.

Living in the camp, there was very little to spend (waste) money on. Because of that I was able to do quite a bit of travelling, and still put enough away for an extended stay in Thailand !

(I was also referring to my "net" salary, after the government took their share )

Safety-wise, it wasn't that bad where we were. In a little over 2 years (Sept 03 - Nov 05), our camp never got attacked at all. There was some danger while driving to/from various location in Kabul, but nothing like there is in some other areas.

I'm still waiting for word to go back, hopefully to Kandahar this time.