- Jamie Louis Swain arrived in Thailand on Thursday night and was arrested
A British tourist faces up to 20 years in prison in Thailand after immigration staff allegedly caught him with a bag of cocaine hidden in his passport.
Jamie Louis Swain, 29, from Enfield, north London, arrived in Phuket, Thailand, on an Etihad Airways flight on Thursday evening.
When he handed his passport to an immigration officer, the police officer noticed a small plastic bag with white powder inside when he flipped through the document to find an empty page to place the visa stamp.
Officers said Swain reacted with surprise, before beginning to curse and shake, prompting authorities to conduct further inspections and scan his luggage.
He was arrested at Phuket International Airport, where police analyzed the substance found in his passport and confirmed it was 0.42 grams of cocaine.
Jamie Louis Swain (pictured), 29, from Enfield, north London, arrived in Phuket, Thailand, on an Etihad Airways flight on Thursday evening.
When he handed his passport to an immigration officer, the police officer noticed a small plastic bag (pictured) with white powder inside when he flipped through the document to find an empty page to place the visa stamp.
Officers said Swain reacted with surprise, before beginning to curse and shake, prompting authorities to conduct further inspections and scan his luggage (pictured above).
He was arrested at Phuket International Airport, where police analyzed the substance found in his passport and confirmed it was 0.42 grams of cocaine.
Police Colonel Padthongtew Damapong, Superintendent of Immigration at Phuket Airport, said: “An immigration officer found the cocaine when he was checking the tourist’s passport.
‘The suspect was accused of importing Schedule II narcotics, i.e. cocaine, into the country and possessing them.
“The suspect was handed over to Sakhu police station for further legal action.”
Under Thailand’s Narcotics Law, importing cocaine into the country carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years to life in prison and a fine of £43,000 to £108,000 (2,000,000 – 5,000,000 baht).
Possession of cocaine is punishable by up to five years or a fine not exceeding £2,000 (100,000 baht), or both.
