The mom of a person held at a Thai airport after a packet of cocaine was present in his passport has warned that it might probably ‘occur to anybody’ as she claims he was ‘arrange’.
Michelle Swain, 57, says her household went by way of hell once they acquired a name from her son saying he had arrived at Phuket island for his much-anticipated vacation solely to be arrested at immigration.
Jamie Louis Swain, then 29, from Stevenage, landed at Phuket Worldwide Airport along with his brother in Could final yr however was pulled apart when an immigration officer observed a small plastic bag with white powder whereas flicking by way of his passport to search out an empty web page to position the visa stamp.
Officers stated that Swain reacted with shock, earlier than he began swearing and shaking, prompting authorities to conduct additional inspections and scan his baggage.
He was then arrested the airport, the place police examined the substance present in his passport and confirmed it was 0.42 grams of cocaine.
He was stated to be going through as much as 20 years in jail underneath Thailand‘s Narcotics Act, however after a court docket listening to in July was deported again to the UK after being ordered to pay a wonderful of fifty,000 baht (£1,137).
Jamie Swain from Stevenage landed at Phuket Worldwide Airport in Could final yr however was pulled apart when an immigration officer observed a small plastic bag with white powder whereas flicking by way of his passport
Pictured: The bag discovered by Thai immigration in Jamie’s passport at Phuket airport
Chatting with MailOnline, his mom has detailed the traumatic incident, alleging that it was a ‘arrange’.
Ms Swain stated: ‘He went there along with his brother, received by way of Heathrow, Dubai, and received to Thailand.
‘His brother received by way of along with his passport after which Jamie gave his passport and so they stated a bag fell out his passport.
‘Folks say it is as a result of I am his mum I do not imagine it, however to get by way of two airports and the actual fact it is occurred to different individuals, I simply really feel that it was a arrange.
‘I am unable to assist that, I do know I am his mum, and I am not foolish I do know they’re all doing this and all of it goes on, I am not naive I’ve received three boys.
‘However I simply really feel prefer to get by way of two airports after which all of the sudden this bag seems, and he’d had his passport out all that point, I simply discover it very unusual.
‘It was lower than a gram, it was ridiculous, but it surely was sufficient, as our solicitor stated, to get cash out of you.
‘As I say, I nonetheless suppose [it was set up], I am unable to assist it, as a result of if that is the case then clearly Heathrow and Dubai airports usually are not doing their job.
‘You get feedback saying “oh how silly”, however no, as a result of it wasn’t in there. It should have been put in there.
Pictured: Jamie Swain factors to the bag after being arrested by Thai authorities at Phuket Airport final yr
Pictured: A scan of Jamie’s baggage after he was taken into custody by Thai immigration
‘I feel this occurs greater than we all know.
‘He isn’t the one particular person it is occurred to, I do know three individuals no less than the place it has been precisely what occurred to Jamie. It is simply an excessive amount of of a coincidence.’
Ms Swain advised of how when she had been reached out to by individuals who had reported ‘precisely’ the identical phenomenon of near empty packets of cocaine being ‘discovered’ of their passports.
She stated her son was then held in a ‘holding cell’ for round two days earlier than being set free on bail.
She had flown out to Phuket on the identical night time he had been detained, and says the ‘terrible’ expertise had her fearful he can be jailed in a international jail.
The mother-of-three stated: ‘I flew out that night time, immediately.
‘He was taken to the police station after which he was put in a jail cell. He stated it was not in an enormous jail, as a result of he stated he might see the ocean from it.
‘He was handcuffed in there with a Russian bloke, simply them two.
‘He stated there was no water, no meals, nothing. ‘He was in there about two days then he received bail.
‘It wasn’t a excessive bail quantity. He then needed to keep there [in Phuket] for 3 months no less than, they would not let him go.
‘He had a court docket date on the finish of July and he received fined. He received fined and deported, however they could not deport him from there, so he needed to go to Bangkok.
Pictured: Thai authorities examined the powder and it got here again constructive for cocaine
‘So he needed to get a flight from Phuket to Bangkok, and he was put in Bangkok jail for a few days.
‘It wasn’t very good in there from what he stated. It wasn’t good. He stated everybody within the jail had been extra excited by his story as a westerner, and so they stated to him “you are not going to get out of right here”. They stated that they had been there for years.
‘He had a sq. mat and that is the place he kind of stayed. I do not know what number of had been in [the cell], however he stated there have been separate cells like Somalians and completely different religions, and so they stated “should you misbehave you go in there, and you do not wish to go in there”.
‘There have been fights in there.
‘However he managed to get by way of it. He flew again firstly of August.’
Whereas preliminary stories stated the 29-year-old might be going through as much as 20 years behind bars, he was launched on bail for the equal of £250, and his wonderful got here as much as simply over £1,000.
The end result got here as a aid to Ms Swain, who stated solicitors had initially warned the court docket might hand a sentence of six months to a yr in jail.
Underneath Thailand’s Narcotics Act, importing cocaine into the nation carries a most jail time period of 20 years to life and a wonderful of £43,000 to 108,000 (2,000,000 – 5,000,000 Baht).
Cocaine possession is punishable with as much as 5 years or a wonderful not exceeding £2,000 (100,000 Baht) or each.
Warning others, she stated whereas the nation and the persons are ‘lovely’ and ‘pleasant’, travellers must be cautious.
She stated: ‘It was simply meant to be a pleasant vacation. It might occur to any younger boys going on the market. There’s nothing you are able to do, you will be cautious, but when that occurs there’s nothing you are able to do about it.
‘Once I see related tales now, I do really feel for the household.
‘Till you are in that state of affairs, everybody feedback “oh you do the crime you do the time” however once you’re in that state of affairs it is terrible.
‘It is worrying, particularly abroad, you do not communicate Thai.
‘Fortunately our solicitor spoke English. In any other case I do not know what we might have carried out.
‘I do not know what you do in case you have no cash or have nobody on the market.
‘It’s horrifying for the children, it is taking place on a regular basis on the market.
‘It was simply an terrible expertise, I would not wish to put anybody ever by way of that. I might by no means want it on anybody.
‘The concern alone was horrible.
‘It is a disgrace he needed to undergo that basically, it might probably damage individuals’s lives. I do not suppose they see the injury it might probably do to younger boys’ lives.’
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