A British traveller is reportedly facing the death penalty in Thailand after being caught with more than 3,000 ecstasy tablets in his possession.
According to The Guardian, the 19-year-old was stopped at Bangkok international airport after an x-ray revealed the tablets in his luggage as he prepared to leave the country. The newspaper reports that the haul would have been worth around GBP40,000 if it was to be sold in Thailand.
While most foreigners caught with drugs are handed a lengthy jail sentence, there have been some suggestions that the death penalty is a possibility because of a perceived crackdown on drugs in the south-east Asian country. The prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra “declared war” on drugs earlier this year and vowed to rid the whole country of drugs by December.
A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed to News From Abroad that a British national was arrested and that consular staff have been in contact with him.
