Briton Arrested in Chiang Mai for Drug Possession and Overstaying his Visa for More than 400 Days

 

CHIANG MAI – Police have arrested a 31 year-old Briton in Chiang Mai’s Kamphaeng district for over staying his visa for 414 days and having 0.95 grams of crystal meth on his possession.

Police arrested Benjamin John Soulsby, 31, at his rented house in a housing estate in Tambon Tonpao following a tip from the house owner that his tenant appeared to be high on drugs.

When Immigration Police arrived Soulsby refused to open the door, so they had to ask for a key from the house owner, Sanook reported.

After entering the rental suite, police allegedly caught Soulsby in the bathroom, flushing crystal meth down the toilet, but 0.95 grams of the drug were still on the bathroom floor and drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.

Police also said the Soulsby had allegedly failed to pay rent for the past two months and instead asked the landlord to simply take his deposits.

Pol Col Pallop Siriyakul-na-Ayutthaya, deputy commander of the Immigration Police Division 5, said Soulsby entered Thailand on September last year and his visa expired on October 8, last year.

Source: Bangkok Coconuts, Sanook, The Nation