Regional News
Former Nepalese Crown Prince Paras Shah Arrested in Bangkok on Felony Drug Charges
Ex-crown prince Paras Shah (second left) in Thai police custody on Wednesday
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BANGKOK – Former Nepalese Crown Prince Paras Shah, who has been living in Bangkok for the past few years, was arrested in Thailand on Wednesday for drug possession, Thai media reported. He has been held twice earlier on similar charges.
Thai police informed Nepal’s embassy in Bangkok about his arrest without specifying the charge, and the date and whereabouts of detention.
Police said they found 10 gm of cocaine, 9 gm of marijuana and 5.8 gm of ice found in small packets hidden inside his vehicle
Thai police released some photographs of Paras—handcuffed, gaunt with a dark face and a long hair. He appears in black trousers, white shoes and black and white spotted t-shirt. – (Photo Below)
Police reportedly found 10 grams of cocaine, 9 grams of marijuana and 5.8 grams of ice found in small packets hidden inside his vehicle.
Under the Thai Narcotics Act, anyone in possession of the dangerous drugs heroine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and LSD could face up to 10 years in jail or a fine of 100,000 baht if the contraband in question is less than 20 grams. If it is more than 100 grams, the guilty could even face the death penalty.
There is little chance of Paras being released on bail as the drugs he possessed were not of the ordinary category under Thai law.
Several social media users reacted that they found his physical condition astonishing. Paras is said to have been caught in the midst of a forest and taken to a police station.
A patient of depression, Paras suffered a heart attack in 2013. Thai police reported the recovery of a blue plastic tube and two other white tubes used to carry hashish. Police are said to have started recording his statement and begun the process to register a case for contraband drug possession.
He was held with 5.8 gram marijuana, a local newspaper reported. Paras, notorious for his reckless lifestyle, had left for Singapore with his wife and three children after Nepal was declared a republic in 2008. After living there briefly, he moved to Bangkok while his family returned home.
In 2013, he was admitted to a Bangkok-based hospital for nearly a month after suffering a major heart attack.
Thai police released some photographs of Paras—handcuffed, gaunt with a dark face and a long hair. He appears in black trousers, white shoes and black and white spotted t-shirt.
