A Briton facing life in prison in Thailand is a new father who was arrested just days after getting married in a romantic ceremony on a remote island paradise.
Andrew Brett, 35, was reportedly carrying a stash of cocaine and LSD when he was arrested following a five-month undercover police operation.
His devastated parents, John and Ann, told of their shock when news of their son’s arrest began to emerge just days after they returned from a month-long holiday on the island of Koh Tao.
Andrew’s father John, 82, said his son seemed to have “everything to look forward to” and “a bright future ahead” after marrying his Thai-born wife in a beachside ceremony.
Retired electrician John told MailOnline: “This has been a huge shock – they haven’t told us anything.”
Andrew Brett (pictured), 35, was allegedly carrying a stash of cocaine and LSD when he was arrested following a five-month undercover police operation.
A police spokesman said the case had been kept confidential for several months.
Andrew’s devastated parents John and Ann (pictured together) told of their shock when news emerged of their son’s arrest after returning from a month-long holiday on the island of Koh Tao.
Andrew’s father was speaking to MailOnline at the family’s £800,000 home in Surrey.
‘We just returned from Thailand. We went to the wedding.
‘Everything seemed perfect. It was a beautiful ceremony. He has a lovely wife and his son is not even four months old.
‘We had a great time. Now to think that this has happened. It just doesn’t make sense.’
Andrew, who grew up in Worcester Park, Surrey, and attended Richard Challoner State School, had allegedly been selling hard drugs to tourists at the Ecco Bar in Surat Thani province in the south of the island.
The former locksmith had been living on the island for more than two years.
Two of his sisters have lived in Thailand for many years and both had established businesses there with bars, cafes and a diving school.
The three brothers live on the island where Andrew rented an apartment and hoped to settle down after starting a family and doing business with friends, owning a share in a local bar.
Speaking at the £800,000 family home where Andrew grew up, father-of-five John said: “We spent a month in Thailand – it was beautiful.”
‘She has a baby who is less than four months old. A beautiful boy. He loves being out there. He didn’t want to go back.
Andrew was arrested just days after getting married in a romantic ceremony on a remote island paradise.
Andrew now faces up to life in prison or the death penalty, depending on how serious the judges consider the case.
‘It is a very popular island for diving.
He is associated with two or three people who run a bar. You have to have a Thai person who owns it. It had shares in it.
‘He went out there initially a few years ago. He came back and was working with his brother as a locksmith and then he left again a couple of years ago and hasn’t returned.
‘Two of his sisters are out there. One has been there for 22 years. They have their own bars, a cafe and a diving school.
Just days before his arrest, Andrew posted a touching video of the wedding ceremony that took place on his “beautiful little island paradise.”
Around 80 friends and family attended the ceremony in which the couple, both dressed in white, were showered with petals after exchanging their vows in an idyllic setting.
John said: ‘It was such a beautiful ceremony on the beach. The sun shined. There were some beautiful flowers that formed an arch. All of his relatives came from the north.
Koh Tao was nicknamed Death Island after the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014 (File image)
Dozens of unexplained deaths of tourists later surfaced on the island, leading to it being given the chilling nickname of Death Island (File Image)
‘At one point I looked at him and we both started crying. It was very moving.
“There were people of all nationalities. They all had bars or diving schools. They spoke very well and formed a very good group of friends.
“There were drinks and snacks. It was the best of all.
‘I just can’t believe this has happened.
‘He had everything going for him. She seemed to have the perfect life.
‘I was with him a few days ago and we had dinner with the whole family. They arrived at the pool of the hotel where we were staying. There was nothing to suggest anything like that.
John said he had had no contact with authorities and had not been officially informed of his son’s arrest.
He said: ‘No one has told us anything. No one from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted us to tell us anything.
I’m sure his sisters will help him. The youngest has been out there for many years.
“I will try to find out what is happening to my daughter because they have not told me anything. This has been a shock.
‘My wife will be devastated.
‘We came back on Sunday and we didn’t know anything about it. It took them 24 hours to return. It was a two-hour ferry to Koh Samui, then we flew to Singapore and back from there.’
Police reportedly intervened after launching an investigation following a tip from a concerned customer that the Briton was distributing drugs at the bar.
They reportedly tracked Andrew’s activities for five months before arresting him on his way to the establishment on February 29.
Officers allegedly found among his belongings 0.54 grams of ecstasy in a plastic bag, 25 ecstasy pills and 75 sheets of LSD, known locally as “magic paper.”
Police allege that Andrew left his apartment at 8pm every day to sell drugs to customers at the bar just steps from Sairee Beach, where British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were beaten to death in the island in 2014.
Dozens of unexplained tourist deaths later surfaced on the island, leading to it being given the chilling nickname Death Island.
Andrew reportedly admitted the stash belonged to him and was charged with possession of schedule I narcotics for distribution. He now faces up to life in prison or the death penalty, depending on how serious the judges consider the case.
It is unclear whether Andrew remains in custody or has been released on bail. His social media accounts have been active in recent days, but there has been no mention of his plight.
John said: ‘We just don’t know what’s happening or what’s going to happen. Things seem to work differently out there. It was such a relaxed place. It was very quiet, except that there were a lot of all-night parties on the beach while we were there. They were happening all the time.
‘But it was really very peaceful. We didn’t see a single police officer on the island the entire time we were there. We had a great time. Now to think that this has happened. They can be very strict out there. They lock people up and then throw away the key: that’s how we perceive it. “It’s a very worrying moment.”
The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.