Former British soldier jailed for 50 years in Thailand for drug dealing

[khunpa]

Sad daddy was not rich...

[rametindallas]

"E" isn't particularly dangerous, addictive or destructive. Most truly civilized countries wouldn't be too concerned with this crime.

You think methamphetamine mixed with caffeine is not particularity dangerous ?

Ecstacy is supposed to mainly comprise MDMA, back in the 70s marketed as the 'love drug', but now often mainly made up of amphetamines.

The 50 year sentence seems extraordinary, especially as he pleaded guilty, was it commuted from a death sentence? Anyone know if it was an importation or drugs acquired locally. Hopefully the guy will get sentence reductions in the coming years. Does HMG arrange repatriation after a certain period to serve time in UK prison?

Ecatasy is rare(ish) in Thailand, you will find he had pills known as Yaba.

Yaba in a non thai tabloid means nothing to the world, Ecstasy does hence they use that instead.

They are 2 completely different drugs.

Yaba is a frequently used term in a non thai tabloid and there is no mention of the word 'yaba' in the OP. I believe the Birmingham Mail knows the difference between yaba (methamphetamine) and ecstasy and they also seem to know a lot about Klong Prem prison. Do you have a source for your (mis)information that he was actually sentenced for selling yaba or did you make that up to back your earlier, wrong post? First you say ecstasy is the same as mixing yaba and caffeine and then, when someone calls you on it, you change your story to 'he was selling yaba' and They are 2 completely different drugs. You can't have it both ways and still retain credibility.

BTW, how would you know that ecstasy is rare(ish) in Thailand? Do you have a link?

.

Edited July 1, 2015 by rametindallas

[Manbing]

hi guy's you all know farang pay's more than thai's

Hi Pierre.

[Tanlic]

Makes me cringe to think of the conditions in Thai prisons. Multiply that by 50 years and I'd rater they just shot me,

I am ususally very pro Thai but 50 years for selling ecstasy <deleted> was the judge on?

[hellohello123]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

Anybody dealing drugs is dealing DEATH. scum of the earth.

So you think alcohol vendors or bottle shop owners should get death as well. Since alcohol kills nore people then drugs

[vogie]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

Anybody dealing drugs is dealing DEATH. scum of the earth.

And those hiso in Thailand who do death directly get away scot-free.

He is not doing death by selling drugs. A crime is a crime.

[Nick167]

Lol! If he is 26, white and slim, he will do well in a thai prison.....good the local guys will be crawling to him for a go at this arse!

[vogie]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

Anybody dealing drugs is dealing DEATH. scum of the earth.

So you think alcohol vendors or bottle shop owners should get death as well. Since alcohol kills nore people then drugs

So what are you saying, 'its ok to sell illegal drugs'?

[gandalf12]

Would a Thai get the same if caught? I cant say I disagree with the sentence but it should be the same for all dealers that are caught.

[hellohello123]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

Anybody dealing drugs is dealing DEATH. scum of the earth.

So you think alcohol vendors or bottle shop owners should get death as well. Since alcohol kills nore people then drugs

So what are you saying, 'its ok to sell illegal drugs'?

Not at all. Im saying,the punishment is far too harsh especially ina coubtry with such double standards.

Also the differnece in punsihment between drug dealers and alcohol dealers is 50years prison vs $1m salary for a ceo of an alcohol company. Hardly remotely fair even though drugs are probably worse then alcohl

Edited July 1, 2015 by hellohello123

[DavisH]

The Thais that committed attempted murder in Chiangmai last week got $250 baht fine, yet this guy gets 50 years? My wife's cousin got busted for a similar amount in Bangkok and was out in 4 years.

Sometimes I think farangs have about the same social status are a Cambodian street sweeper. Jail time yes, but 50 years seems waaay over what the penalty should be for 200 tablets. I guess we are taking jobs away from Thai drug dealers!

[stopthegreed]

Well everyone know the dangers of drug dealing before they even come. So no sympathy there. However 50 years seems way way over the top. He will get deported I suppose

[Bluespunk]

The thing with crime, and this includes drug dealing, is that nobody ever expects to get caught.

No matter what, this is excessive punishment. I don't know how long he will actually spend in jail, I suspect he could get transferred to a UK jail within 5 years, but the punishment here does not fit the crime.

British guys in Thai jails have a harder time than many other nationalities as they get no support from the UK government. There are charities that can help, but basically he will need to depend on help from friends and family outside for even basics like food and basic medicine etc.

Much as I dislike drug dealing, I feel sorry for this guy.

Drug dealing.. you should expect to get caught because to sell drugs you need to be known (if nobody knows you have it nobody will buy from you). So people know you have it and those people can tell on you if they are in trouble or just do so for other reasons.

Technologybytes knows that, you know that, I know that, which is why none of us (I assume anyway) deal drugs.

Those who do deal do so because they think they can get away with it.

Arrogance and/or stupidity can get you into a lot of shit.

That said 50 years is way over the top.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Bluespunk

[Yunla]

These disco pills sometimes have a lot of non-MDMA stuff in them, including speed, ketamine, pcp, ghb, 2cb, and even heroin. We don't know what these pills contained, they were just called ecstasy. Some of those non-MDMA substances have resulted in death, self-mutilation and serious mental problems.

50 years is very heavy. But around the world young ravers have been dying a lot recently from bad or just too concentrated doses in disco pills. As I don't know what his pills contained, I can't say how serious a threat to health they posed. But against the backdrop of many young people dying from these type of disco pills recently, dealing them can result in loss of life for users, so a heavy sentence would be appropriate to some degree.

As other members have said, I urge anyone leaving western nations to leave all their drug habits behind, and to be a model tourist, if only to prevent future problems. I also think that it is better to seek happiness in normal life, and not in drugs. It is beautiful out here, the nature is extraordinary, even in the city here there are exotic songbirds and wonderful trees, and many enjoyable traditional Thai cultural activities. So many wonderful experiences you can have, with no more than a coffee or a beer. I hope people will take care of their health, and enjoy the many wonders of normal tourist life.

[Transporter]

I don't have any sympathy for drug dealers who get caught and properly punished. I would like to know how it is that my neighbour here near Udon Thani has been arrested and then released for drug dealing. Is it because she is not a foreign visitor? Maybe there is another reason? The police say they know she is a drug dealer but they don't have enough evidence to to get a conviction. My guess is that she only sells very small amounts and makes sure the deal is done deep enough into the dirt roads that no one will see. Hopefully they will catch her soon and lock her up for 50 years too.

My wife says there are two rules here. One for foreigners and a different rule for Thais. Well now I am fuming so will be speaking to the "bigger" police myself.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Transporter

[Siriam]

I don't give a damn if he's English, Thai, or whatever nationality ... he screwed up in a country well known to be very harsh on drugs related crimes... no surprise, no sympathy, no empathy.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Siriam

[bristolgeoff]

he should have known better,i don,t feel sorry for him one bit.enjoy the Hilton for many years to come

[Transporter]

I don't know why they don't just write the laws here in English as they obviously don't apply to Thai people!

Edited July 1, 2015 by Transporter

[hEaDy]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

They are the reason I hardly post here. Their consciousness is so limited that they really belong in the jurassic period 8-)

[halloween]

In a civilised society sentences tend to be proprtionate. And the prisoner is not subject to sub-human conditions.

Perhaps those factors should have been taken into account before he began his business,

[MESmith]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

They are the reason I hardly post here. Their consciousness is so limited that they really belong in the jurassic period 8-)

They seem to have arrived now. Must've slept in after a restless night in their sack cloth pyjamas.

[gandalf12]

In a civilised society sentences tend to be proprtionate. And the prisoner is not subject to sub-human conditions.

Perhaps those factors should have been taken into account before he began his business,

Any still talking it I see

[gandalf12]

I don't give a damn if he's English, Thai, or whatever nationality ... he screwed up in a country well known to be very harsh on drugs related crimes... no surprise, no sympathy, no empathy.

Totally agree with you. I look forward to reading that a Thai caught with drugs gets the same sentence which I am sure he / she will

[Colabamumbai]

Whether you are against drugs and hate drug dealers is not the problem, the problem is an unheard of 50 year sentence, as Thailand and the present government continue to regress.

This is a sad story.

[halloween]

In a civilised society sentences tend to be proprtionate. And the prisoner is not subject to sub-human conditions.

Perhaps those factors should have been taken into account before he began his business,

Any still talking it I see

i might even agree if I knew what that meant.

[Mipen]

No sympathy for drug dealers. However, does selling 200 ecstasy tablets, equate to 50 years, when some get 5-10 (or even a bond, if they know the right people, or have the right money,)for taking lives.

Has to appeal the sentence.

[LuckyNo4]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

I was waiting for the computer to warm up...

more seriously, this is disproportionate to the crime committed by far. and there hundreds of

other cases that people got away with much with less jail time,

Thai justice, much can be said about it, being fair, above board and proportional are not

what I would have described it...

let's hope that an appeal in front of other non hanging judges will reduce the term significantly....

A guy in our village recently got out after 6 years for dealing a similar amount.

Seems an example is being set.

Yes because he's a foreigner

[bruceybonus]

Anyone who deals/touches drugs in pretty much any south eastern Asian country knows or should know the penalties. Simple answer is if you get caught as these two guys did, you have to pay as in do time or worse. Whatever happened to that 18yr old who got caught a few years ago? Didn't he get a similar sentence?

Sorry, drugs are a scourge on society and 'If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.' Simple as.

Yawn!

[Scouse123]

So he will do 8 years max and then be sent back to the UK to serve another 3 or 4 and then paroled to go about his business!

You are wrong sir,

He will do eight years on a sentence of 50 years or a life sentence and then be repatriated, yes.

The eight years will be deducted from the overall sentence minus any good behavior or amnesties. He will then be required by treaty and UK law to serve " half of the balance left to serve "

50 years minus 8 years ( let's say no amnesties or good behavior reductions which are nominal especially on drugs charges ) 42 years. He then has 21 years left to serve minus any amnesties or good behavior. There are no legal powers because of the way the UK/Thai treaty is structured to let him out sooner.

Other and less developed countries have managed to secure far better exchange treaties with Thailand. Returning UK prisoners are way down on the list of priorities for UK governments. The punishment way exceeds that what would be handed to a Thai, and is quite disgusting for the crime committed.

When you look at an alleged hi-so girl, texting whilst driving who can kill 9 people by reckless driving, underage, no driving licence and she gets a suspended sentence! Were the victims from Isaarn and therefore not worthy of justice or something or were they poor????........................................ Does that justify the pathetic sentences.

or even look at the grandson of the Red Bull boss who didn't even stop after the accident after killing somebody!

Shame on the justice system in Thailand.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Scouse123

[kannot]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

How many cops did he kill to get 50 years.............oh wait sorry its ok he just needs to beg forgivness and get down the temple