Fate of New Zealand man facing drug charges in Thailand still up in the air

[webfact]

Fate of Taranaki man facing drug charges in Thailand still up in the air

WELLINGTON: -- A Taranaki man remains locked up in a Thai jail after being caught with drugs last December.

Grainge Taylor, also known as Taylor Grainger and Grainge Madgwick was arrested in Patong last December in possession of 1.2 grams of yaba methamphetamine and 0.95g of cocaine. Yaba translates to "madness drug" in Thai and is a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine.

Since being detained by Thai police, Taylor has remained behind bars and it remains unclear when the 42-year-old will be sentenced.

However, he could face years of jail time if found guilty of the drug offending. According to the Thailand Law Forum website, methamphetamine is classified as a category one drug, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' jail or $7800 fine.

Full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/75353161/fate-of-taranaki-man-facing-drug-charges-in-thailand-still-up-in-the-air

-- STUFF 2015-12-22

[Seastallion]

Do the crime, do the time.

However, justice delayed is justice denied. I hope the Thai system takes into account time served when passing sentence.

[aussieinthailand]

Well I gotta feel for the guy, one year down for less than a gram of meth, stupid and well partially deserved I think, but a year and still no trial, sounds like some ones waiting for a brown paper bag.

young fella a few doors down caught last year with 1/2 dozen tabs but out in three months after payments made.

[hansgruber]

Well I gotta feel for the guy, one year down for less than a gram of meth, stupid and well partially deserved I think, but a year and still no trial, sounds like some ones waiting for a brown paper bag.

young fella a few doors down caught last year with 1/2 dozen tabs but out in three months after payments made.

He was caught trying to sell to undercover police.

Hard to feel sorry for death dealers.

[ratcatcher]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11379354

[Seastallion]

Well I gotta feel for the guy, one year down for less than a gram of meth, stupid and well partially deserved I think, but a year and still no trial, sounds like some ones waiting for a brown paper bag.

young fella a few doors down caught last year with 1/2 dozen tabs but out in three months after payments made.

A gram of coke too.

[ezzra]

" Grainge Taylor, also known as Taylor Grainger and Grainge Madgwick "

The reason why he's still in jail is that probably they're trying to sort out his name first....

[leeneeds]

Having lost a brother to an overdose, the circle of greed that is rolled up in this indidious life destoying substance, dealing and using, Far thinking solutions are needed to remove the costs to society, what we do now is not good enough, leaving old mate behind bars for so long, is not justice, so we fail in the principal of law,

[BSJ]

He is a dealer....why should we care.

[Emster23]

Next time, send the check air mail, and make it a cashiers check too

[TheFishman1]

Yep another Big Dealer caught less then a gram and over a yr and no trail. TIT

[Daryle]

You would not be hearing about this, if he had the tea money to make it all appear as a bad dream.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[optad]

Do posters here realize what an extraordinarily small amount of both substances this guy was carrying???!!

"1.2 grams of yaba methamphetamine and 0.95g of cocaine"

The street value of the cocaine in Australia is 300AUD .

Street value of the yaba is around 1000B in Thailand.

I am not trying to mess with stoic hardness on TV re drugs, but this seems to be a bit wrong if balance is a part of your justice equation.

Don't you think?

Edited December 22, 2015 by optad

[Oziex1]

He is a dealer....why should we care.

Because he is basically a nobody, yes it is a serious crime and requires punishment as do the ones who allow it to continue unchecked so long as a donation in made.

[SOTIRIOS]

....dealer....???

...unless you have facts please do not slander the guy....

...the pickup trucks full....whatever happens to those people.....

...we never hear a name...or hear of them again.....

...we hear .....'Sorry...first time to buy milk for my family...don't know who would pay me .....bla-bla-bla....'

...just tiring to hear and see 'the law being upheld'....on the backs of foreigners.....

...I do not condone drugs...I do not even take Paracetamol....

...someone squealed...or set him up.....and expected him to pay....???

...how else did it happen....

....I think I read as much as 30% of Thais 'take drugs'...why are they never arrested.....

[Ulic]

For those quick to condemn the man for being a dealer (amount is basically 1gm/1gm) please

remember if you share a joint with a friend or group of friends as you pass the joint around the

circle you are all now dealers, no money has to pass hands. You are a drug pusher.

I don't take drugs but I do not pass judgement on those that do. The war on drugs around

the world is a massive fail. I do not know what the solution is but I know this outcome

for a 1g/1g year in a Thai jail waiting for a sentence is a fail.

[swissbie]

There has to be more behind this story. One year in prison without trial because of these small amounts? No, not even in Thailand! I know at least a dozen young Thais around here who got caught with this shit (even a positive urine testing is enough to get arrestet). BUT; most of them paid on the spot (not registered as offenders), next level is paying at the police station (more expensive), when they are sent to prison, they still have the possibility of bail out. Only the ones without any money have to spend their time in prison (200 Baht/day), time to trial is normally less than a month. So what's the real deal about this Kiwi?

[rwdrwdrwd]

My initial reaction was the same re the amounts however:

“We put a sting operation in motion after learning that Mr Grainge was selling drugs in the area. When we arrived at the meeting point, we presented our badges and searched him,” Lt Col Khunnadet told the Phuket Gazette. - See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Kiwi-charged-drug-dealing-Phuket/42866#ad-image-0

Also alleged to have nefarious history relating to credit card fraud.

Edited December 22, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[MobileContent]

Do posters here realize what an extraordinarily small amount of both substances this guy was carrying???!!

"1.2 grams of yaba methamphetamine and 0.95g of cocaine"

The street value of the cocaine in Australia is 300AUD .

Street value of the yaba is around 1000B in Thailand.

I am not trying to mess with stoic hardness on TV re drugs, but this seems to be a bit wrong if balance is a part of your justice equation.

Don't you think?

Not really. A farang got court up with selling and pushing drugs so lock him up for another year and then sentence him to 3 years and he will be out in 2017. The Kiwi embassy too is not pushing for a court case so he might sold drugs in NZ as well. Let him go for 5 years in jail.

[sanukjim]

I hope that he does his 10 years.I understand that idiots with no job or profession to obtain one will try to be a seller.The real stupidity is using drugs

[rwdrwdrwd]

Plenty of highly intelligent people use or have used drugs. For example Einstein, Bill Gates, Francis Crick, Richard Feynman and Thomas Edison.

In fact there's a correlation between high IQ and increased drug use.

“Very bright” individuals (with IQs above 125) are roughly three-tenths of a standard deviation more likely to consume psychoactive drugs than “very dull” individuals (with IQs below 75).

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201010/why-intelligent-people-use-more-drugs

Not saying this fella is very smart though, putting yourself in a position to get caught with evidence of dealing in Thailand isn't especially clever.

Edited December 22, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[Guitar God]

If yaa baa is a mixture of amphetamine and caffeine, both addictive stimulants, it seems like the next logical step is to criminalize caffeine too.

Millions are addicted to it,it's a CNS stimulant with an LD50 of 127mg/kg. Ten Grandes, a few cans of Red Bull or M50 and a few caffeine based diet pills and you're close.

Vitamin B will keep you awake as well as yaa baa or caffeine but people don't commit crimes to get it, probably because it's legal. Not a lot of caffeine related crimes either.

The worst side effects of a lot of substances are due to their legal status. Alcohol consumption actually dropped a few months after prohibition ended. Drug use in the Netherlands and Portugal dropped after legal sanctions were dropped, the allure was gone.

Remove the attraction, remove the criminality and use the money saved to place ads educating people that it rots the teeth out of your head, messes you up and it's not good for you and I bet consumption and related crime would go down.

[Shawn0001]

He is a dealer....why should we care.

We should care because, as he has not been on trial him, "being a dealer", is just what the police are alleged to have said, normally we at least give the defendant the chance to defend themselves in court, you know, like as is their legal right according to the Thai constitution.

[optad]

My initial reaction was the same re the amounts however:

“We put a sting operation in motion after learning that Mr Grainge was selling drugs in the area. When we arrived at the meeting point, we presented our badges and searched him,” Lt Col Khunnadet told the Phuket Gazette. - See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Kiwi-charged-drug-dealing-Phuket/42866#ad-image-0

Also alleged to have nefarious history relating to credit card fraud.

You cannot add infractions on. Your link was nice but did not really add much.

Surely everyone can expect to be treated on merit [bad word here i guess]. From what i can tell, it is two illicit substances of 1gr/1.25gr...Small amounts in any jurisdiction.

I am concerned for this "user" as this person reported atm seems to be. Have not heard of "dealers" getting ahead in these quantities.

But I am more personally concerned 'we', the bigger community out there stop caring about the issues that matter and start dealing with things as they present in stereotypes. This affronts me. and until i know more, yes there should be more to this, it is a concern.

[hansgruber]

My initial reaction was the same re the amounts however:

“We put a sting operation in motion after learning that Mr Grainge was selling drugs in the area. When we arrived at the meeting point, we presented our badges and searched him,” Lt Col Khunnadet told the Phuket Gazette. - See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Kiwi-charged-drug-dealing-Phuket/42866#ad-image-0

Also alleged to have nefarious history relating to credit card fraud.

You cannot add infractions on. Your link was nice but did not really add much.

Surely everyone can expect to be treated on merit [bad word here i guess]. From what i can tell, it is two illicit substances of 1gr/1.25gr...Small amounts in any jurisdiction.

I am concerned for this "user" as this person reported atm seems to be. Have not heard of "dealers" getting ahead in these quantities.

But I am more personally concerned 'we', the bigger community out there stop caring about the issues that matter and start dealing with things as they present in stereotypes. This affronts me. and until i know more, yes there should be more to this, it is a concern.

Didnt you read the article linked properly?

A prearranged meeting was made to sell these drugs to undercover police.

The amount doesnt matter, he was trying to sell.

Dealing is dealing no matter the amount.

[optad]

My initial reaction was the same re the amounts however:

“We put a sting operation in motion after learning that Mr Grainge was selling drugs in the area. When we arrived at the meeting point, we presented our badges and searched him,” Lt Col Khunnadet told the Phuket Gazette. - See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Kiwi-charged-drug-dealing-Phuket/42866#ad-image-0

Also alleged to have nefarious history relating to credit card fraud.

You cannot add infractions on. Your link was nice but did not really add much.

Surely everyone can expect to be treated on merit [bad word here i guess]. From what i can tell, it is two illicit substances of 1gr/1.25gr...Small amounts in any jurisdiction.

I am concerned for this "user" as this person reported atm seems to be. Have not heard of "dealers" getting ahead in these quantities.

But I am more personally concerned 'we', the bigger community out there stop caring about the issues that matter and start dealing with things as they present in stereotypes. This affronts me. and until i know more, yes there should be more to this, it is a concern.

Didnt you read the article linked properly?

A prearranged meeting was made to sell these drugs to undercover police.

The amount doesnt matter, he was trying to sell.

Dealing is dealing no matter the amount.

Hans

Yes i read it. Changes little.

What dealer turns up with those quantities . And if you ask me if i want to sell my car, sure it is for sale if the price is right. Everyone's is. Why would police make such an appointment unless they were given information which if true could mean anything.

No i don't know much about this case, nor am i a fan or drug dealers but i am not of the hangin' crew here either. Those guys accept anyone until things get tough.

The credit card stuff is irrelevant too.

[Daryle]

I hope that he does his 10 years.I understand that idiots with no job or profession to obtain one will try to be a seller.The real stupidity is using drugs

One thing is obvious to me... The NZ guy is in for a hard time and your lack of compassion for a fellow human being is breathtaking. Heres hoping you or your beloved ones adhere to your high standards.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 22, 2015 by Daryle

[halloween]

My initial reaction was the same re the amounts however:

“We put a sting operation in motion after learning that Mr Grainge was selling drugs in the area. When we arrived at the meeting point, we presented our badges and searched him,” Lt Col Khunnadet told the Phuket Gazette. - See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Kiwi-charged-drug-dealing-Phuket/42866#ad-image-0

Also alleged to have nefarious history relating to credit card fraud.

You cannot add infractions on. Your link was nice but did not really add much.

Surely everyone can expect to be treated on merit [bad word here i guess]. From what i can tell, it is two illicit substances of 1gr/1.25gr...Small amounts in any jurisdiction.

I am concerned for this "user" as this person reported atm seems to be. Have not heard of "dealers" getting ahead in these quantities.

But I am more personally concerned 'we', the bigger community out there stop caring about the issues that matter and start dealing with things as they present in stereotypes. This affronts me. and until i know more, yes there should be more to this, it is a concern.

In my experience, drug dealers meeting an unknown buyer don't arrive with large quantities but small samples of product. Street sellers usually work in teams of 2 or 3, one selling and a "bank" holding the supply, often separate persons holding the drugs and cash. This not only makes arrest more difficult but also reduces the risk of being robbed, something which occurs quite often.

Any sympathy for a dealer caught with a only a small quantity is sadly misplaced.

[gk10002000]

Do posters here realize what an extraordinarily small amount of both substances this guy was carrying???!!

"1.2 grams of yaba methamphetamine and 0.95g of cocaine"

The street value of the cocaine in Australia is 300AUD .

Street value of the yaba is around 1000B in Thailand.

I am not trying to mess with stoic hardness on TV re drugs, but this seems to be a bit wrong if balance is a part of your justice equation.

Don't you think?

There are about 28 grams in one ounce. 16 ounces to one pound (in the USA units anyway). I never did any of these things but as an engineer this sure seems like not much weight. So it doesn't seem like one can make a lot of money doing this unless one sells a lot of it. Maybe they buy it wholesale and mark it up huge when they sell it. But if one is living day to day or month to month and needs a few thousand baht, then you are heading in a bad direction. I believe many "dealers" sell in order to support their own drug habit. Vicious circle.

[malt25]

Do posters here realize what an extraordinarily small amount of both substances this guy was carrying???!!

"1.2 grams of yaba methamphetamine and 0.95g of cocaine"

The street value of the cocaine in Australia is 300AUD .

Street value of the yaba is around 1000B in Thailand.

I am not trying to mess with stoic hardness on TV re drugs, but this seems to be a bit wrong if balance is a part of your justice equation.

Don't you think?

NO !!!