Caught with cannabis

[OldChinaHam]

I got caught 5 days ago ... Paid bail on the 3 rd day and have to go back every 12 day that's all I no ,,,,,, and they kept my passport

Did they jail you for 3 days?

Caught with what?

For this temporary stay, was it a real jail?

If so, what was it like?

I think the OP would want to know the answers to these questions.

And maybe, too, others.

[lemoncake]

I got caught 5 days ago ... Paid bail on the 3 rd day and have to go back every 12 day that's all I no ,,,,,, and they kept my passport

Did they jail you for 3 days?

Caught with what?

For this temporary stay, was it a real jail?

If so, what was it like?

I think the OP would want to know the answers to these questions.

And maybe, too, others.

I can answer some of the questions for you.

Yes you stay locked up in a cell in police station, is it a real jail? well real one is nicer.

In police cell, you have 1 hole in the floor ie toilet and anywhere from 10-20 people per cell, which in the West would cater for most 2 people.

There is no air or fan or shower or water or anything else for that matter. No beds or pillows, just bare, dirty concrete.

People in the cell rely solely on friends or relatives to feed them and bring water, Usually if you have someone locked up, you would bring 5 times the food and drinks to share with others.

The actual jail is different, more comfy, but not that much better(though you are fed sometimes)

First offenders for drugs if jailed, do not get send to general prison, but to sort of like a rehab, which is in the middle of nowhere and while doable is far from anything decent.

Lets put it this way, my maids brother was done recently and was only locked up in police cell.

After the experience, not only he stopped the drugs, but stopped to drink and smoke

[metisdead]

A flame post has been removed. Keep it civil or don't bother posting.

[OldChinaHam]

I got caught 5 days ago ... Paid bail on the 3 rd day and have to go back every 12 day that's all I no ,,,,,, and they kept my passport

Did they jail you for 3 days?

Caught with what?

For this temporary stay, was it a real jail?

If so, what was it like?

I think the OP would want to know the answers to these questions.

And maybe, too, others.

I can answer some of the questions for you.

Yes you stay locked up in a cell in police station, is it a real jail? well real one is nicer.

In police cell, you have 1 hole in the floor ie toilet and anywhere from 10-20 people per cell, which in the West would cater for most 2 people.

There is no air or fan or shower or water or anything else for that matter. No beds or pillows, just bare, dirty concrete.

People in the cell rely solely on friends or relatives to feed them and bring water, Usually if you have someone locked up, you would bring 5 times the food and drinks to share with others.

The actual jail is different, more comfy, but not that much better(though you are fed sometimes)

First offenders for drugs if jailed, do not get send to general prison, but to sort of like a rehab, which is in the middle of nowhere and while doable is far from anything decent.

Lets put it this way, my maids brother was done recently and was only locked up in police cell.

After the experience, not only he stopped the drugs, but stopped to drink and smoke

Thank you for the answers to most of my questions. I think prospective users of illicit drugs should keep the things you have just written firmly in mind, and not rationalize that it might be different for them. I shudder at these words because I know I could not do the time. I would rather be deceased perhaps; I have not that gregarious a personality that I could last.

So maybe the OP now should also know any steps the OP might take to mitigate the discomfort of the experience once inside the jail?

If I were in the OP's shoes, I would definitely be asking anyone and everyone this question, and on every Thailand forum, too.

Tks!

[puukao]

no matter the outcome, I hope this gets you scared enough to NEVER do drugs in a foreign country again (unless it's legal, as in some places in USA, and i'm sure a few other countries). I don't care if some guy gives you weed for free, just say no. Hopefully the stress, lack of sleep, small financial burden, etc....has you thinking clearly going forward. just relax, you will get through this; however, I am sure you are old enough to know when you are breaking the laws. I wish you well.

[HardenedSoul]

Oh man there's a lot of people on high horses in this thread.

Naurally I can't be certain but I'd be willing to bet that a few of them have been pulled by the cops while driving pissed up and potentially capable of killing someone as well as themselves.

Yet here they are laying into a guy who's worried about foolishly being busted with some ganja. It's not like the guy was dealing, is it?

I dunno about others but from experience, I know that good parties can be made truly outstanding parties with a liberal application of a little weed or a few bumps of chang and no one gets hurt.

[Stradavarius37]

Oh man there's a lot of people on high horses in this thread.

Naurally I can't be certain but I'd be willing to bet that a few of them have been pulled by the cops while driving pissed up and potentially capable of killing someone as well as themselves.

Yet here they are laying into a guy who's worried about foolishly being busted with some ganja. It's not like the guy was dealing, is it?

I dunno about others but from experience, I know that good parties can be made truly outstanding parties with a liberal application of a little weed or a few bumps of chang and no one gets hurt.

Lehman Bros is right!

[greg71]

Did they piss test you as well? if positive then youll do 45 days in a thai jail called rehab here .If you havent then count your self lucky and get the hell out of there.I had a friend under the same circumstance as yourself .He went to court if you plead innocent then youll get a full term as judges dont like time wasters for possesion .plead guilty pay ur fine or do ur time which he did it klong prem remand jail ,he got the mandatory 45days for drug addicts even if its weed .If you do go in then pay ur bail which you cannot post yourself and then proceed to be tested for the next 6 months at probation office near where your located .Hope this helps.

[happysanook]

Oh man there's a lot of people on high horses in this thread.

Naurally I can't be certain but I'd be willing to bet that a few of them have been pulled by the cops while driving pissed up and potentially capable of killing someone as well as themselves.

Yet here they are laying into a guy who's worried about foolishly being busted with some ganja. It's not like the guy was dealing, is it?

I dunno about others but from experience, I know that good parties can be made truly outstanding parties with a liberal application of a little weed or a few bumps of chang and no one gets hurt.

Given the usual response to this type of thing on TV, I'm surprised it's not worse. Mostly people seem pretty supportive. Really bad luck buddy... Hope you get out of this as cheaply and unscathed as is possible.

[Beetlejuice]

A hefty fine and deportation.

The fine could be any amount and not able to pay or buy himself out, will result in a long stay at a Thai stink hole prison, where even the rats and flies avoid due to the extreme foul hygiene conditions.

Whatever, the OP`s days are numbered in Thailand or maybe turned into a living hell.

Hope he has a bottomless pit of cash at hand and a darned good lawyer who won`t be cheap?

How can you be so sure of your assessment of the situation when others seem to be convinced that this guy/gal will get off lightly with a roughly Baht20.000 fine? I am asking not to argue the point of course, but to know the reasoning behind your conviction.

And not to rub salt in the wound here but I wonder how anyone could be so lacking in "awareness about possible consequences" that they might use these illicit drugs in Thailand, even though I know a certain percentage do this.

40 years ago in Thailand, I never worried about having a Taxi driver find a bit of green grass along the roadside, not from my lawn, to smoke up a storm until I did not know where the Taxi was headed, and did not care, but these days I think I would need to be even more cracked than I am to smoke what the OP might have been smoking.

So why your conviction that you are more right about the OP's upcoming conviction and incarceration?

I think this might be interesting to hear.

Thanks!!

Firstly the OP is not a poor Thai.

Step one foot wrong in Thailand and the farang becomes ripe for exploitation. The police, prosecutors and the lawyers will try to milk him dry, using fear tactics and the full force of the legal process to make him cough up whatever they can get either from the OP or from his family.

The police here have draconian powers and are more or less given a free hand to deal with offenders as they see fit. I have given the worst scenario of what could possibly happen, and now the OP`s future in Thailand is all based on a hope and a prayer.

Whatever which way, the OP is not going to get out of this lightly. One way or another it`s going to cost him.

The OP alleges that he only had 3.30 grams of weed and 2 grams of mix tobacco and weed. Fine, but how much has this 3.30 grams of weed actually cost him or is going to cost him in real terms?

As I have said many times in the past and keep on saying; abide by the laws of Thailand and enjoy your stay and live in peace here, as many of us do.

Sorry to sound so harsh, this is nothing personal against anyone, I am telling it as it is. Be warned by the mistakes of others.

[OldChinaHam]

Oh man there's a lot of people on high horses in this thread.

Naurally I can't be certain but I'd be willing to bet that a few of them have been pulled by the cops while driving pissed up and potentially capable of killing someone as well as themselves.

Yet here they are laying into a guy who's worried about foolishly being busted with some ganja. It's not like the guy was dealing, is it?

I dunno about others but from experience, I know that good parties can be made truly outstanding parties with a liberal application of a little weed or a few bumps of chang and no one gets hurt.

My understanding of this topic is this has nothing in common with what you have just written.

I see it as the OP's being worried over what is going to happen to him, and what he can do to get help from a lawyer, and maybe can anyone provide other suggestions which might help his case.

You seem to be more concerned with "good" parties and "outstanding" parties. Your obvious conclusion that the OP now wants to talk about drug taking is mistaken, no doubt. Maybe no one cares if you want to engage in the absorption of any drug of your choice. I personally would be happy to see you and everyone have this free choice anywhere in the world you happen to be. But we are in Thailand now, where drug laws get you time in some bad prisons I never want to see.

This is not about high horses, or shooting horse, smoking horse, or partying.

Any reader here who can provide additional information and help to better educate this OP and others about the consequences of getting busted and possibly spending time in jail, I hope they will post more comments and experiences here.

We do need to read them from time to time to keep them fresh in our minds, not buried behind or under rationalizations and the lingering buzz of a recent high on horse, or anything else.

[JohnDodd]

I don't know how the laws on ganja stand presently, but in '91 I was caught with 22grams in my home at that time in Pattaya.

on arrival at "loang pak", after being charged with possesion and taken up to cells (before black glass doors) and met up

with present occupants. 6 falangs, 20 Thais Male & female, 6 Burmese. Within a half hour I was taken up to meet a bib

captain, who immediately asked for 50k and instant release. Foolishly I refused. What followed in the following 2 months

was more than enough to remove the "rose tinted...." .week in the cells...early April, stinking hot, and stinking of <deleted>, as

it was blocking the sqauters running water somedays. To court in Chonburi to pay "bragan" no cashier, already departed

for songgraan. Was kept in chonburi main nick, until after holiday. not very much to write home about in there. Released

after 5 days after my then Thai wife was able to pay bail. for 30 days, I reported to court in chonburi every week. Was

finally fined 3k, suspended 2 year stretch, and immediately re-arrested as my tourist visa had expired. Just as the bib

had planned, because I didn't pay the 50k. after 2 weeks between chonburi police stn. and pattaya ditto, and finally

I.D.C. in Bangkok I was deported, but not blacklisted. J.D.

[Changnoi2]

The best course of action is to ask a trusted Thai friend to recommend a lawyer. A friend of a friend won't shaft you.

[HardenedSoul]

Oh man there's a lot of people on high horses in this thread.

Naurally I can't be certain but I'd be willing to bet that a few of them have been pulled by the cops while driving pissed up and potentially capable of killing someone as well as themselves.

Yet here they are laying into a guy who's worried about foolishly being busted with some ganja. It's not like the guy was dealing, is it?

I dunno about others but from experience, I know that good parties can be made truly outstanding parties with a liberal application of a little weed or a few bumps of chang and no one gets hurt.

My understanding of this topic is this has nothing in common with what you have just written.

I see it as the OP's being worried over what is going to happen to him, and what he can do to get help from a lawyer, and maybe can anyone provide other suggestions which might help his case.

You seem to be more concerned with "good" parties and "outstanding" parties. Your obvious conclusion that the OP now wants to talk about drug taking is mistaken, no doubt. Maybe no one cares if you want to engage in the absorption of any drug of your choice. I personally would be happy to see you and everyone have this free choice anywhere in the world you happen to be. But we are in Thailand now, where drug laws get you time in some bad prisons I never want to see.

This is not about high horses, or shooting horse, smoking horse, or partying.

Any reader here who can provide additional information and help to better educate this OP and others about the consequences of getting busted and possibly spending time in jail, I hope they will post more comments and experiences here.

We do need to read them from time to time to keep them fresh in our minds, not buried behind or under rationalizations and the lingering buzz of a recent high on horse, or anything else.

Rubbish.

I pointed out that several respondents have been less than helpful and have, instead, slated the guy for taking drugs. He knows he's wrong - he doesn't need to be reminded by the more sanctimonious members of our little community any more than someone who gets done for drunk driving would.

My comments about good parties and outstanding parties were an aside. Not strictly pertinent, perhaps, but hardly way off topic.

[wooloomooloo]

Within a half hour I was taken up to meet a bib captain, who immediately asked for 50k and instant release. Foolishly I refused.

Good post.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and, as you intimate, it's far easier to settle at the earliest.

[simple1]

Did they piss test you as well? if positive then youll do 45 days in a thai jail called rehab here .If you havent then count your self lucky and get the hell out of there.I had a friend under the same circumstance as yourself .He went to court if you plead innocent then youll get a full term as judges dont like time wasters for possesion .plead guilty pay ur fine or do ur time which he did it klong prem remand jail ,he got the mandatory 45days for drug addicts even if its weed .If you do go in then pay ur bail which you cannot post yourself and then proceed to be tested for the next 6 months at probation office near where your located .Hope this helps.

Testing positive does not equate to compulsory 45 days in rehab. Al least not if you are Thai and know the "system". Thais will negotiate a fee with RTB to write up a report for the police prosecutor, who will then recommend a fine only to the judge. Seen it happen, including those for whom it's a second office, the fee and fine is more onerous as is the lawyers fee.

[kikoman]

My son has a history of drug abuse in the old country, wanted to come visit me in Thailand, I told him not to come. As he seems unable to change his life and turn it around after all these years.

That the price one has to pay for breaking drug laws are high in Thailand and all of SE Asia.

For all the TV members that advocate paying a bribe to get out of legal problems, when all I hear from most complain how the rule of law is not enforced here in Thailand, people like these members is why a lot of expats become targets for never ending BIB corruption.

I love my son dearly, everyone is entitled to make a mistake (not learning from that mistake was his decision) I helped him all I could with his first mistake, I made it clear to him that help was for the first mistake if he did not learn his lesson then "he is on his own". His brothers and sister have a great life those are the ones that deserve any help I could give.

To the OP, if you do the crime you must be prepared to do the time!

That being said I wish you luck in dealing with your problems!

Cheers:

[hanno]

Some bad luck man.

Not really. Not getting on a high horse or anything, but that all South East Asian countries do not take drugs lightly. Whether I agree with these policies is besides the point; it is just the laws. I stopped touching weed when I came to SE Asia 20 years ago.

P.S.: And I don't drive drunk.....

[DiamondKing]

Oh man there's a lot of people on high horses in this thread.

Naurally I can't be certain but I'd be willing to bet that a few of them have been pulled by the cops while driving pissed up and potentially capable of killing someone as well as themselves.

Yet here they are laying into a guy who's worried about foolishly being busted with some ganja. It's not like the guy was dealing, is it?

I dunno about others but from experience, I know that good parties can be made truly outstanding parties with a liberal application of a little weed or a few bumps of chang and no one gets hurt.

The point is WE ARE IN ASIA where any dealings in drugs has massive penalties and while sometimes you might get off easy for having a joint there are others who go through HORRIFIC penalties for that same joint just look at youtube, so like i said before if you come to THAILAND or any other country that has strict laws and penalties on drugs and you then partake in drug taking then YOU EITHER ARE JUST PLAIN STUPID or you just maybe addcited to the said drug if you cannot abstain while you are in a country THAT YOU KNOW has severe penalties and if you get caught THEN YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING YOU GET AND MORE and maybe you just might learn that there are places you can smoke weed with little to no recourse but of course ASIA IS NOT ONE OF THEM..

With all the hassle, heartache, and expense to come plus the possibility of being deported WAS IT REALLY WORTH IT just to get stoned.

Edited July 14, 2013 by DiamondKing

[OldChinaHam]

Some bad luck man.

Not really. Not getting on a high horse or anything, but that all South East Asian countries do not take drugs lightly. Whether I agree with these policies is besides the point; it is just the laws. I stopped touching weed when I came to SE Asia 20 years ago.

P.S.: And I don't drive drunk.....

This sentiment says it in a coconut nutshell, you gotta be wacko to do drugs in any East Asia country, and Thailand particularly. Probably many more but I have not been to Malaysia where it might be worse, for all I know. Tourists coming here just have not assimilated this knowledge into their bones, yet.

I do not know how long some of you posters have been in this area, but after about 1980 when the war on drugs began for real with big bucks behind it, as well as military weaponry provided by the USA, illicit drug taking is far too dangerous to contemplate.

If you wanted to take drugs in Asia, then you should have been here 1970, or before.

Far safer then.

Now, it is a fools pastime.

Toke up, and many will get taken down hard.

Singapore Hash was great decades ago, but it might kill you in prison now.

Stick with Singapore Slings and a good Whistle Cleaning, you're gonna get HIGH high, and stick within the law.

Edited July 14, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[CBR250]

Sorry for OP's predicament - a bit of harmless recreation leading to a real headache. I hope the suggestions here work to get you out of your situation with visa intact, even if bank account is depleted.

It's ironic that Thailand only adopted anti-cannabis laws to kow-tow to the USA's "war on drugs" and now the US is back-tracking from that loser policy and freeing up weed - even in Washington itself. But I suspect that Thailand won't catch up with the liberalization of ganja for a while. Too much money to be made here for some.

[willyumiii]

too bad it wasn't yaba! they don't aprove of dangerous drugs like pot here. lol

Are you an idiot?

You've never hear of Thailand's attitude about drugs?

By the way..Thanks, you make all farangs look bad...and stupid!

[Spoonman]

Had a mate get caught a few years back with a joint in his pocket, first time offence and he was deported after he spent 6 months in prison.

[OldChinaHam]

Sorry Benni81, I definitely know what you are feeling, or almost anyway.

I hope someone here can provide the answer you are looking for.

If my comment offended you, then, again, sorry.

My hope is that this very major problem for you resolves in the best way it can for you.

Good luck and wishing you well.

I won't comment here again on this topic.

[Benni81]

I'm not offended by anyone it's just that some people just write way of and it's nothing to do with me,,, this is just a stupid mistake and I'm just after making right again and seeing my options cuz here no one is good speaking English and that's shit. But I want to same Time thank all the once that been answering to my topic and giving me a help on the way. I'm still looking for a lawyer if anyone has to recommend.... Like I said I want make sure that the prison bit is out of the way.

[samran]

@HardenedSouk. No one is getting on their high horse. Most of us probably have a pretty laisez fair attitude to weed, though I don't partake. Problem is though, the consequences of being caught in Thailand aren't pleasant. So better not to do it, no?

[lemoncake]

I'm not offended by anyone it's just that some people just write way of and it's nothing to do with me,,, this is just a stupid mistake and I'm just after making right again and seeing my options cuz here no one is good speaking English and that's shit. But I want to same Time thank all the once that been answering to my topic and giving me a help on the way. I'm still looking for a lawyer if anyone has to recommend.... Like I said I want make sure that the prison bit is out of the way.

I can give you a lawyer in Pattaya who is good at "fixing" things, may be call him, pay for his way out to you and see what he can do/negotiate for you.

May be he has a friend over that way. If you like his info, send me a PM

[Nana Cowboy]

It could be worse as some countries in Asia carry the death penalty. So what if he gets deported and even blacklisted. Is thailand the only country in the world?

I say to OP to try and get out of this with as little fine and time served as possible. Leave Thailand and go to cambodia if u are obsessed with living in Asia. Puff to your heart's content there. Or just go home and get a job

Edited July 14, 2013 by Nana Cowboy

[pete66]

Get a lawyer. But not through Thai friend, or friend of friend. There are as many bent lawyers here as bent police officers. And that Thai friend will get a kickback from the lawyer / police.

Like someone said, get a lawyer recommendation from consulate. Ring up your consulate, explain your situation, and they will do something for you. I cannot say any lawyer they get will be "perfect", but your chances of getting reasonable representation are much higher than trying to go through "friends and friends of friends". Places are Pai are breeding grounds for parasites who like to befriend farangs and then shop them at first opportunity to police / lawyers.

And no, I'm not saying all Thais are like this, just many of the ones you meet in tourist traps. Any Thai guy that comes up to you in tourist area and says "I want to be your friend" is on some kind of scam.

As for what the lawyer can do, it just depends on the circumstance. Sounds like too far for a "quick exit", a court date is more likely, but who knows. TIT

[gchurch259]

Why do people with not self control always complain when they get caught. I am 78 and never used any of that junk. Me I like chocolate and ladies.