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

[bruceybonus]

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.

What a wretched creature you are!! The country is NOT harsh on drug related crimes for EVERYONE, just a select few.

[dcpo]

People should be allowed to take drugs if they want, and the sale of currently illegal drugs should be regulated in a similar way to alcohol and tobacco. Addicts should be treated as a a public health problem using a small fraction of the money saved through not pursuing the hugely costly and largely ineffective 'war on drugs'. Everyone wins apart from the violent criminal organizations that currently control the illegal drug trade.

[arfurcrown]

You get the justice you can afford in many countries this being just one of them !!

[SOTIRIOS]

....preposterous....

....milk him in the legal system I guess....

...they stop pickup truck after pickup truck full of tons of drugs....

..it seems that the apprehended simply apologize.....we never hear more of it...

[umbanda]

Very hard sentence for the crime...but....in some countries the penalty increases when the criminal is a foreigner. Long time ago, a young American was cought with marihuana entering Turkey and spend long time in jail....A movie mas made about its lhelly ife in jail and the long fight for re trial.

Anyway..drugs are deadly..and not only for the consumer. When I was young, dating an older medical doctor, I suspected something wrong about her behavior some times.....until one day she got in panic when her 2 years old daughter ingested something that was in her bag. That day I found out that she was using meta anphetamines. Soon later, during an argument, she attack me with a knife and I had to run for my life to never come back.....

Unfortunately, drugs dealing increased a lot after that time, specially in the US, when it is so common that the police do not pay attention anymore, and drugs are sold in front of schools all day...

I remember, in 1993, in El Cajon, California, to watch a dealer selling for a bunch of teenagers, and at the same time a police car passing by, in plain daylight. Later, assisting a Santana concert on an stadium in San Diego, so many around were smoking, and the smell of marihuana was so strong, that I can say that everybody was in drugs that night....including the police.

[Lost in LOS]

seems way over the top but why in the world would you deal drugs, especially here when we all know whats up

I like to smoke pot, but never have and never will in thaialnd...... ever, not worth the risk

[mochafan]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

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

interesting. Have you ever tried Ecstasy? Probably not. Have you tried any drug? Maybe not. Do you drink alcohol? I'm guessing you do. should people be put in prison for selling alcohol or cigs? You might want to look at your pict here....some people might think you are scum of the earth just by looking at your pict. Just my opinion. And you had your opinion about drug dealers...same same.

[Andrew65]

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.

He should do no more than 8 years, then back to a nick in the UK.

Drugs do massive unseen damage to society. I know some people do drugs & have no problems, but some do not.

I saw some figures that said there are 3 million drug users in Thailand, that's out of what, about 63 million?! That's a hell of a lot.

Even though I'm not a user myself, I believe that most drugs should be legalized/controlled.

The "War on Drugs" has been lost.

[mochafan]

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. Is

Is that what Jesus would say?

[robblok]

Very hard sentence for the crime...but....in some countries the penalty increases when the criminal is a foreigner. Long time ago, a young American was cought with marihuana entering Turkey and spend long time in jail....A movie mas made about its lhelly ife in jail and the long fight for re trial.

Anyway..drugs are deadly..and not only for the consumer. When I was young, dating an older medical doctor, I suspected something wrong about her behavior some times.....until one day she got in panic when her 2 years old daughter ingested something that was in her bag. That day I found out that she was using meta anphetamines. Soon later, during an argument, she attack me with a knife and I had to run for my life to never come back.....

Unfortunately, drugs dealing increased a lot after that time, specially in the US, when it is so common that the police do not pay attention anymore, and drugs are sold in front of schools all day...

I remember, in 1993, in El Cajon, California, to watch a dealer selling for a bunch of teenagers, and at the same time a police car passing by, in plain daylight. Later, assisting a Santana concert on an stadium in San Diego, so many around were smoking, and the smell of marihuana was so strong, that I can say that everybody was in drugs that night....including the police.

I can tell you stories about alcohol fueled bar fights too, but alcohol is accepted. Thing is drugs carry risks but most users don't do strange things. Just think about it rational, millions upon millions of pills are sold in BKK and we hear only about a few drug incidents with violence.. why because most users handle it well without problems.

Just like with alcohol you got alcoholics with other drugs you got addicts.. same thing same problem. We did not ban alcohol because of alcoholics and bar fights.

[apetley]

People should be allowed to take drugs if they want, and the sale of currently illegal drugs should be regulated in a similar way to alcohol and tobacco. Addicts should be treated as a a public health problem using a small fraction of the money saved through not pursuing the hugely costly and largely ineffective 'war on drugs'. Everyone wins apart from the violent criminal organizations that currently control the illegal drug trade.

If that were the case stand by for even more deaths on the road as truck and bus drivers get an unlimited supply of go juice.

[sabaii69]

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

hang 'em high

[crazykopite]

After 5/6 years I would imagine he will get a Royal Pardon 50 years is a hell of a long time only last week did I read a report of a Thai who mowed two Brits down and killed them got a 10,000 baht fine and a suspended prison sentence of two years.

[smokie36]

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....

200 ecstasy tablets is definitely dealing....but 50 yeara is just way too much of a punishment.

Let's hope they remove the zero at appeal.

[mommysboy]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

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

Cam down! Someone will be along to puff up your cushion shortly.

[Spock]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

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

Have you ever had ecstasy? It is actually quite fun. Statistics suggest it is actually very safe unless you live in a country like Australia where the right ingredients are not used. Selling ecstasy is hardly in the same category as dealing ice or heroin. I do agree with the 'if you cant't do the crime do the time' bit but not the scum reference.

[brewsterbudgen]

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!

So farangs are somehow superior to Cambodians?

[mommysboy]

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,

Let me clarify, that is a full stop at the end,ie, period.

In a civilised society sentences tend to be proportionate. and the prisoner is not subject to sub-human conditions, full stop, period.

After all if failing to understand simple concepts alone was a crime, you'd be in there with him.

[KuhnPaen]

maybe he can escape like David McMillan. Just bolt some picture frames together to make a ladder and poof--gone.

Sad thing is that if he was a US citizen he would do 4 years as part of a prisoner treaty and go home.

50 years in KP? At least they have ladyboys in there in case he gets lonely.

[Happy Days xx]

Drugs are dangerous!

I snorted Coke once and was rushed to hospital....

.... I got the bottle stuck up my nose!!

... BOOM BOOM!!

[geriatrickid]

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

Wrong. 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine aka ecstasy aka MDMA is a potent chemical. However, let's put that aside. I want you and those who agree with you to give me an honest answer to this scenario;

A retailer distributes a pharmaceutical product that is advertised as a specific product. The retailer cannot guarantee the product quality because the retailer purchased the product from a wholesaler who may have purchased from a distributor who purchased from a manufacturer or sourced from another distributor. Nowhere in the supply chain is there any record of quality control. The manufacturing process does not follow even the most basic minimum standards of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Many of the product components are unknown or are contaminated with heavy metals, fungus, mold and various other unknown substances. Some purchasers of the product can in turn re-sell it or give it as gifts to others, including minors.

The usual response to a retailer behaving in the aforementioned manner, is to shut the retailer down and bring the full force of the law down on the retailer for unsafe retail practices. Would you defend the retailer's activity and permit it to continue? I would not. No sane rational person would.

How then is a trafficker of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine any different than the retailer selling toxic unsafe products?

[Bakseeda]

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!

No, he will have to serve one third of his sentence before consider for a prisoner repat.

Then once at home (if he survives) he will only serve a short time in prison because of the severity of this punishment.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Bakseeda

[rametindallas]

People should be allowed to take drugs if they want, and the sale of currently illegal drugs should be regulated in a similar way to alcohol and tobacco. Addicts should be treated as a a public health problem using a small fraction of the money saved through not pursuing the hugely costly and largely ineffective 'war on drugs'. Everyone wins apart from the violent criminal organizations that currently control the illegal drug trade.

If that were the case stand by for even more deaths on the road as truck and bus drivers get an unlimited supply of go juice.

They already have an unlimited supply. Tens of millions of yaba tablets are seized each year but that is only a fraction of the number of pills that make it into the marketplace. Not everyone who uses drugs, abuses drugs or else everyone would be drunk all day and all night.

.

[jaffacakes1]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

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

So let's lock up the tobacconists, the pharmacies, the doctors. Oh and that beer you're going for this evening? The drug which is more harmful than heroin? Yeah, you can't have that.

Not all drugs are created equal, if alcohol was a newly discovered it would be criminalised immediately - globally but you espouse your uninformed opinions about 'drugs' whilst pouring another Chang and lighting another cigarette.

http://thedea.org/statistics.html

Footnote - The US Centers for Disease Control reports over 100,000 alcohol related deaths per year, with close to 200 million Americans using alcohol. CDC also reports over 400,000 smoking related deaths per year out of about 100 million smokers. The 'ecstasy related' drug deaths number is based on an assumption of about 60 deaths (in all probability there were only a handfull of purely 'ecstasy' deaths) out of a user population of about 3 million (based on the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Statistics, conducted by SAMHSA.)

Your position on legality is not in question, one must obey the laws of the land and if not, appreciate the risk of a high penalty no matter how unjust it may appear. This guy was selling a few party tablets to willing thrill seekers to fund his stay on holiday, not destroying families. Hardly scum of the earth.

[bruceybonus]

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

Wrong. 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine aka ecstasy aka MDMA is a potent chemical. However, let's put that aside. I want you and those who agree with you to give me an honest answer to this scenario;

A retailer distributes a pharmaceutical product that is advertised as a specific product. The retailer cannot guarantee the product quality because the retailer purchased the product from a wholesaler who may have purchased from a distributor who purchased from a manufacturer or sourced from another distributor. Nowhere in the supply chain is there any record of quality control. The manufacturing process does not follow even the most basic minimum standards of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Many of the product components are unknown or are contaminated with heavy metals, fungus, mold and various other unknown substances. Some purchasers of the product can in turn re-sell it or give it as gifts to others, including minors.

The usual response to a retailer behaving in the aforementioned manner, is to shut the retailer down and bring the full force of the law down on the retailer for unsafe retail practices. Would you defend the retailer's activity and permit it to continue? I would not. No sane rational person would.

How then is a trafficker of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine any different than the retailer selling toxic unsafe products?

Sounds like most of the pharmacies over here.

[rubyjuan]

50/years? Give me an <deleted> break! Such bullshit...for 200 tablets? I worked with a Thai guy who beat the ever loving shit out of his wife in front of a 7-11(they were both teachers, too)..the police just sent him home, as they took her away in an ambulance...i don't miss living in Thailand.

[kerrysum]

This is nothing short of scandalous. I know of Thai people who have committed very similar crimes. They are out from behind bars within a few months. No lie.

What can I say,

If your are Thai, sabai,sabai....

Farang, die lao khrap....

Thailand has always been like this.... Two standards, always..... although do I not particularly like it, it is one whom is at the mercy, and no one else was arrested?

seems he must of had an inside edge, to do what he was doing.....

[Andrew65]

If you cant do the time dont do the crime.

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

interesting. Have you ever tried Ecstasy? Probably not. Have you tried any drug? Maybe not. Do you drink alcohol? I'm guessing you do. should people be put in prison for selling alcohol or cigs? You might want to look at your pict here....some people might think you are scum of the earth just by looking at your pict. Just my opinion. And you had your opinion about drug dealers...same same.

Yes, but some people aren't trying to convince us that some types of alcohol/tobacco are harmless.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Andrew65

[Bakseeda]

After 5/6 years I would imagine he will get a Royal Pardon 50 years is a hell of a long time only last week did I read a report of a Thai who mowed two Brits down and killed them got a 10,000 baht fine and a suspended prison sentence of two years.

There is NO Royal pardon for a drug offence .....

[NCC1701A]

"E" isn't particularly dangerous, addictive or destructive.