Bangkok: Wellknown ex-model Yooyee jailed 15 years for cocaine possession

[ClutchClark]

I always love the articles when someone gets busted for drugs, the moralizers come out in droves.

Moe, I agree with you. I love to see the moralizers come out to since it is reassuring to me there are still a majority of us that don't do drugs and don't break the law.

;-)

Edited June 14, 2014 by ClutchClark

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

what is 250 mg of cocaine worth?

In the US we are talking about? 10 to 15 USD?

What is that worth in Thailand?

[boomerangutang]

Frank Cuesta today tweeted a link to a Bangkok Post article that said 5mg now.

"discovered five milligrammes of cocaine"

There was a study done in the US that found over half, I repeat; over half of dollar bills (all denominations) in circulation have at least a trace of cocaine. To criminalize anyone for such a tiny amount of stuff, is beyond mean-spirited. Thanks, DEA for influencing SE Asian authorities to ruin peoples' lives. Perhaps DEA is trying to out-Sharia Sharia - to show they're tougher than the terribly strict, hyper-judgmental mullahs.

I always love the articles when someone gets busted for drugs, the moralizers come out in droves.

Moe, I agree with you. I love to see the moralizers come out to since it is reassuring to me there are still a majority of us that don't do drugs and don't break the law.

;-)

Moralizers could be on either side of the aisle. There could be moralizers who agree with the establishment that all laws are to be strictly followed, no matter whether some laws are ridiculous and counter-productive. Then there are 'moralizers' who come down on the side of sanity, and counsel authorities to not be so painfully, unforgivingly harsh when dealing with folks who either make dumb mistakes and/or want to get a buzz. Edited June 15, 2014 by boomerangutang

[kunnatee]

I don't understand hardly one word of whatever you were trying to communicate.

Drugs are dangerous. Don't believe me? Fine.

Maybe in the 5th line I should have written "reasons" after "many more" to make it clear, but apart from that, I don't see what is hard to understand if you try.

Cars are way more dangerous. Don't believe me?

Do you want to put car drivers and dealers in jail?

People have lived without cars until not that many years ago, I think they could survive without them.

This link http://www.who.int/gho/road_safety/mortality/en/ say that 1.240.000 people died in 2010 in car accidents.

and let's not talk about the paralyzed ones.

Why aren't cars forbidden?

Because they are useful to a majority of drivers who have no accidents

Most drug users also have no drug accidents.

You don't hear about them because they have to hide themselves or risk jail, but they are alive and healthy. And they have their own reasons to take drugs, that you may not understand but should respect.

You only hear about the cases in which drugs had bad consequences, because they are the ones fed to you by the media.

But if instead of wasting money on putting innocent people in jail this money was used to inform and prevent, the number of such cases would fall dramatically.

Do you realize for instance that most heroin overdoses could be avoided if it was sold in pharmacies so that users would know exactly how much they are taking?

And that many victims could be saved if their friends were not too afraid of calling an ambulance, for fear of getting caught.

Do you know that all these overdoses could be reversed if the use of Naloxone was advocated?

Please post some evidence on how a liberal recreational drug policy would be a positive contribution to Thai society.

Just look at the improvements in Portugal since all drugs were depenalized.

By the way, to show more evidence, you'd first have to have liberal recreational drug policies somewhere (else than Portugal)

What you're asking is the same as "Show me that you've lost 3 kg" to someone who hasn't started his diet yet.

But politicians, who don't dare to mention drug policy reforms because they care more about being elected than about the good of the people, can't hide the elephant in the room anymore.

And things are starting to seriously change right now in the Americas.

We may very well see the legalization of all drugs during this century.

Still doesnt explain why anyone thinks they need drugs.

As you are defending their use It would seem you are one of the ones that uses them so perhaps you could explain why you think you need them.

I am definitely defending their use for anyone who benefits from them.

And because you don't understand something doesn't mean it doesn't have a good reason to be.

Like I said, there are as many reasons as there are users.

But you can't know that a book was very enriching until you read it.

So you keep saying "I don't need to read. And I've seen news about someone who didn't like that book"

The fact that you're asking again shows that you have not tried by yourself to understand users' motivations at all.

A little bit of empathy can bring you a long way

If you won't make any efforts, I don't see why I should tell you about myself.

Look at the medical history of MDMA and LSD.

Look at the current studies on psilocybin.

Look at the reports of mystical experiences and epiphanies on DMT. (Which I know for a fact to have saved lives from suicide in some cases)

Then come back and explain to us why these users and dealers should be jailed.

Drugs that are prescribed by a doctor better referred to as medication are OK.

All illegal drugs are not OK.

In England, hospitals use heroin. It's ok.

Here they don't. England must be mistaking.

In Colorado marihuana is legal.

Here it gets you executed.

Your assumption that the law is by definition right is ridiculous.

[ClutchClark]

Frank Cuesta today tweeted a link to a Bangkok Post article that said 5mg now.

"discovered five milligrammes of cocaine"

There was a study done in the US that found over half, I repeat; over half of dollar bills (all denominations) in circulation have at least a trace of cocaine. To criminalize anyone for such a tiny amount of stuff, is beyond mean-spirited. Thanks, DEA for influencing SE Asian authorities to ruin peoples' lives. Perhaps DEA is trying to out-Sharia Sharia - to show they're tougher than the terribly strict, hyper-judgmental mullahs.

I always love the articles when someone gets busted for drugs, the moralizers come out in droves.

Moe, I agree with you. I love to see the moralizers come out to since it is reassuring to me there are still a majority of us that don't do drugs and don't break the law.

;-)

Moralizers could be on either side of the aisle. There could be moralizers who agree with the establishment that all laws are to be strictly followed, no matter whether some laws are ridiculous and counter-productive. Then there are 'moralizers' who come down on the side of sanity, and counsel authorities to not be so painfully, unforgivingly harsh when dealing with folks who either make dumb mistakes and/or want to get a buzz.

In the post I responded to it was quite clear what "moralizers" meant and I don't think any drug user would typically refer to oneself as part of the "morals" community--not to say they do not practice morals in other areas of their lives. Recreational drug use is not referred to as "moral" by definition:

"Right conduct. Virtuous conduct."

Moral conduct is law abiding conduct.

Edited June 20, 2014 by ClutchClark

[ClutchClark]

There seems to be a defense of all illegal drug use based on some impression they are all equal.

I think that has been a big misnomer in the US historical stand that "a drug is a drug".

I cannot imagine anyone can stand here and say Heroin (horse to those of my beatnik generation) or PCP or Crack or Coke or these new synthetic marijuanas and bath salts are no more dangerous than smoking their maryjane or having a beer.

[doctorproc156]

There seems to be a defense of all illegal drug use based on some impression they are all equal.

I think that has been a big misnomer in the US historical stand that "a drug is a drug".

I cannot imagine anyone can stand here and say Heroin (horse to those of my beatnik generation) or PCP or Crack or Coke or these new synthetic marijuanas and bath salts are no more dangerous than smoking their maryjane or having a beer.

The reason these drugs you mentioned in your last sentence are popular is because only very little is needed for a very strong intoxicating effect. They are very efficient for smuggling. The legalization of much less harmful drugs such as cannabis, mushrooms, LSD and MDMA would lead the harder drugs to a natural death. There has been plenty of instances where methamphetamine is sold as MDMA which is a much safer drug, the users of course overdose because they have no idea what they were taking and only takes the word of their dealer.

[kunnatee]

I cannot imagine anyone can stand here and say Heroin (horse to those of my beatnik generation) or PCP or Crack or Coke or these new synthetic marijuanas and bath salts are no more dangerous than smoking their maryjane or having a beer.

I absolutely agree that all drugs are different and have to be considered separately.

Just for the sake of accuracy, I would like to mention that there hasn't been enough research on what you call "synthetic marijuanas" (cannabinoids)

So it is not known if they are dangerous or not.

And this is of course an argument in favour of legalization.

A compound that doesn't exist yet can't be outlawed.

So rather than risk trafficking classic drugs which have been well-studied, dealers synthesize new drugs of the same family, which they can deal without the same risks as the already outlawed drugs, but with much more danger for the users since the effects and dosages needed are less known.

Those new compounds wouldn't have been created if the well-studied ones had not been banned.

And as soon as the new ones get also banned, it's easy for the chemists to just synthesize other ones. There's no lack of promising compounds to be discovered.

"Bath salts" aren't a specific drug. It's a blanket word for mainly newly distributed compounds under the generic term of bath salts. So it's also not possible to say if they are dangerous or not, just as one cannot say that "snakes in general are dangerous"

perhaps you could explain why you think you need them.

Please read this quote by Sam Harris talking about his 2 young daughters.

"But if they don’t try a psychedelic like psilocybin or LSD at least once in their adult lives, I will wonder whether they had missed one of the most important rites of passage a human being can experience."

Then wonder if it applies to your own life (rhetorical question)

(http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/drugs-and-the-meaning-of-life)

[gk10002000]

Are these numbers correct? I don't know the density of cocaine, but 250 milligrams is 1/4 of a gram! There are about 28 grams in an ounce. This seems like dust.

[steffi]

One of the Bangkok post articles actually said 5mg

[WitawatWatawit]

Are these numbers correct? I don't know the density of cocaine, but 250 milligrams is 1/4 of a gram! There are about 28 grams in an ounce. This seems like dust.

Good point. This needs clearing up. The old Deering scales came with a scoop that supposedly held about 1 gram of C, and it was about the size of a measured teaspoon.

[boomerangutang]

There seems to be a defense of all illegal drug use based on some impression they are all equal. I think that has been a big misnomer in the US historical stand that "a drug is a drug".

I cannot imagine anyone can stand here and say Heroin (horse to those of my beatnik generation) or PCP or Crack or Coke or these new synthetic marijuanas and bath salts are no more dangerous than smoking their maryjane or having a beer.

I'm not defending all illegal drugs or their use. It's a big problem, but so is awful driving. Should we put all terrible drivers in jail for 20 years or execute them? (if so, half of Thai drivers would be off the road).

Drugs should be looked at as a social issue, not a criminal, unless the drug user is doing blatant criminal activity, like stealing or harming people, etc. (like an alcoholic who beats his wife to a pulp, etc.)

Alcohol users, who also happen to be the people making and enforcing the laws, will have you believe that most drinking is social and benign, whereas all other recreational drugs are criminal, destructive, despicable. It's not a black & white scenario, that's why all drug-takers should be dealt with on an individual basis. Sure, it will take more social workers, but that's better (and cheaper) than criminalizing hundreds of thousands of people who would ordinarily be doing some drug to get high and likely just listening to some music, making love, or going to a disco.

[Kasset Tak]

For me it's not a question if the drugs do harm or not. In my former line of work helping coworkers with addictions was a big part of my work so I have visit both AA, NA and rehab centers. There are sometimes open meeting that us outsiders can visit! I have heard many horror stories from the person that it actually happened to while trying to support my colleagues.

And yes if we would invent alcohol today it would be forbidden. The same with tobacco as tobacco is more addictive than cannabis!

Edited June 21, 2014 by Kasset Tak

[AGareth2]

in answer to post 192

execution

[pacovl46]

That sentence is absolutely ridiculous!

Based on what premise ?

Are you for real? 15 years for 250 milligrams?!

[katana]

I seem to remember seeing several stories in the Thai news over the years where Thai pop stars get very long jail sentences for drug possession (and dealing) which they're forced to serve and can't skip with bail in the usual way Phoo Yais do.

Almost like there's an intention being made to set an example for the young.

[SteveFong]

I do not think her surname is Thai.Does anyone know where she was coming from.Maybe someone told that she was being a naughty girl

I think she has been married to a foreigner for a long time.

Anyhow,

As always, plenty of posts claiming this and that, without any link to their fantastic stories and arguments.

For the curious among us here's all you need to know.

yuyee.jpgYummy.jpg

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Cuesta

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuyee_Alissa_Intusmith

Buenos diaz

I saw this video shortly after her arrest,

my first thought was, the husband put the bag in her jeans,

the second thought was, they both looked like heavy users from their eyes

the last and first thought was 250 milligrams, I had to use a calculator to discern just how tiny an amount that was, and realized it was a straw full,

then, thought, someone forgot to take it out of the jeans before traveling back to thailand

seems like it was a forgotten baggie, with almost nothing in it.

I think the crime, is the system that wants to use her as an example when she has two young kids that need their mother

[balo]

If she was rich and wealthy she would have been out from jail already .

[SteveFong]

today, on the ex pat face book page,

a young man posted that he and two others were pulled from a taxi and searched, somewhere in bkk

one young man claims a police officer planted a small baggie of an unknown substance on him, and he was arrested

this sort of story, regardless of the details,

is a warning to foreigners, period

I have no idea what really happened, but, the story itself doesnt sound like it will have a happy ending

[The manic]

The amount is smaller than a match head. It, like all drug offenses does not deserve a prison sentence. It is barbaric.

[ldiablo]

How could 251 milligrams be used for anything other than consumption. Heck, back in the day i would do more than that in one line.

[pacovl46]

That sentence is absolutely ridiculous!

Based on what premise ?

The amount of drugs stands in no relation to the seriousness of the sentence.

A few years ago that rich guy's then 17 years old daughter got 3 years of probation, a fine and is allowed to get her driver's license only at the age of 25 for killing several people in a car crash she caused because she was speeding on the tollway with her father's car and rear-ended a mini van! At least one of the passengers flew out of the van and fell the 20 or so meters from the tollway all the way down to the ground.

The Red Bull heir hasn't been prosecuted at all yet, for killing that cop with his Lamborghini or Ferrari or whatever it was.

Yet this woman gets 15 years for possession of a quarter of a gram of blow!

Edited October 11, 2015 by pacovl46

[z42]

That sentence is absolutely ridiculous!

Based on what premise ?

The amount of drugs stands in no relation to the seriousness of the sentence.

A few years ago that rich guy's then 17 years old daughter got 3 years of probation, a fine and is allowed to get her driver's license only at the age of 25 for killing several people in a car crash she caused because she was speeding on the tollway with her father's car and rear-ended a mini van! At least one of the passengers flew out of the van and fell the 20 or so meters from the tollway all the way down to the ground.

The Red Bull heir hasn't been prosecuted at all yet, for killing that cop with his Lamborghini or Ferrari or whatever it was.

Yet this woman gets 15 years for possession of a quarter of a gram of blow!

Indeed Soutpeel, the amount of 251mg is apparently what she was convicted of possessing. according to a BP article earlier this year, the 251mg amount is listed on her prison issue tag which all inmates are forced to wear as it details what they're locked up for.

You mention in previous posts that it was 250grams. Not possible, nobody unless they're a mule would carry that amount of gear through an airport. And even a mule wouldn't because the amount is too small to be worthwhile for a trafficking organization and way too high to be a personal stash. 250g is a seriously big lump of powder & even a real fiend wouldn't buy in quantities like that, let alone carry it around in their luggage as they fly between south east asian airports.

The same BP article insinuates that she was set up by some influential person because her charity work somehow scuppered a deal in which the same influential person would receive some highly prized big cat.

For having any gear at all she is foolish, but certainly not foolish enough to warrant over a decade in squalid prison conditions either. However it is dressed up her family has been torn apart by a disgustingly disproportionate sentence. The real losers in this are her kids, they don't deserve to be deprived of a parent for 15 years for the sake of a very small amount of drugs (which if consumed would render almost no lasting ill effects whatsoever).

[This Thing of Darkness]

Drug trafficking as we all know carries a heavy penalty in most if not all Asian countries. regardless of the amount, the crime is the same. Armed robbery of THB 1,000 or THB 1,000,000,000 is still armed robbery.

So by your analogy a defendant A slaps another persons face and is convicted of assault. Defendant A should receive the same sentence as defendant B, a person who viciously assaults another resulting in the permanent disability of the victim?

I disagree. Those crimes are not the same and that is the reason there is a judge, first to officiate over the hearing, then second, to sentence the convicted person. The sentence must fit the crime...

The sentence should fit the crime?

In the UK a quarter of as gram is probably a £50 fine.

She was done for 'intent to supply' obviously... Hence her defence was that is was for 'personal use' the judge rejected her defence, meaning he did not deem it to be for personal use, therefore he ruled she was dealing it... a whole quarter of a gram.... The judge is an idiot.

She probably didn't have enough money to get a lighter sentence or she wouldn't give it up. How can anyone rely on Thai "Justice" when people are getting 15 years for 3 lines

[stickylies]

'During the trial, Yooyee defended that the drug was meant for self consumption and not for sale. However, the court rejected her defence .......'

so the court though that she may have been going to sell one quarter of one gram of cocaine!!!!!!!

No. The court simply states it didn't care it was for personal use.

[stickylies]

Amnesty next year. She will be out pretty soon. TIT.

[MaeJoMTB]

15 yrs for 250 milligrams of personal devils dandruff??? What the heck do they do to those caught trafficking millions of yabaa pills?

My wife's former boyfriend got 25 years for 6,000 yaba tablets in his car.

Another pal of hers got 10 years for having a passenger in his Taxi carrying 300 yaba tablets.

Edited October 11, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[mercman24]

yes thai penal system is shameful, i did read some guy raped and murdered a girl, and was out in 4 months,it only came to light when the dead girls friends kicked up merry stink about it, totally disgusted.

[h90]

Ouch.

So when they catch a bloke with 1mn yaba pills do they give him 300 years in jail. Drugs sick but so do unproportionate jail terms.

and for self consumption....she isn't hurting anyone....at that amount not even herself

[Praematura]

15 years for 251 milligrams. Thailand is following the misguided policy of the U.S. In putting nonviolent drug offenders in jail. Rideculous.