American held on dope charge

PATONG: American Charles Elliott Rook, 55, was arrested on May 19 on charges of possession of cannabis with intent to sell. Pol Lt Col Sanguan Muangtham of Patong Police Station told the Gazette that Rook was arrested after a raid on his home in Nanai Rd turned up a kilogram of cannabis. Undercover police had originally tried to buy cannabis from a 23-year-old woman named as “Daeng”. She had only a little, which police bought from her. They asked her for more, so she took them to Rook’s home where, she said, the dope had come from. The officers called for back-up, then, when the door was answered by Rook’s 11-year-old son, burst in. A search turned up the kilo of cannabis, worth 100,000 baht, in a wardrobe. Rook was arrested on a charge of possession of a Class 5 drug with intent to sell. The maximum penalty for this offense is a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or up to 10 years in jail, or both.