White lines, don’t do it! British man nabbed in drugs & visa overstay
A British man’s island joyride ended in handcuffs in Koh Samui after he reportedly tried to dodge a police stop, only to be caught with drugs in his bag and an expired visa in his passport.
What started as a routine patrol turned into a high-speed chase through the streets of Koh Samui after a British man gave police the slip, but he didn’t get far.
Officers patrolling the Chaweng Beach area around 5pm yesterday, April 23, spotted a foreign motorcyclist breaking traffic laws and signalled him to pull over. But instead of stopping, the rider revved up and sped off, sparking a pursuit through the tropical resort town.
The chase ended on Wat Phang Bua–Sanam Bin (Airport) Road in tambon Bor Phud, where police finally intercepted the bike and arrested the rider, 28 year old Michael Philip Martin, a British national.
A search of his belongings revealed three sachets of cocaine, weighing a total of 1.8 grammes, stashed inside his shoulder bag, Bangkok Post reported. Martin was promptly taken to Bor Phud Police Station.
During questioning, Martin came clean, sort of. He allegedly confessed to buying the drugs from a Thai man outside a pub on Chaweng Beach the night before, shelling out 4,000 baht per sachet for his personal use.
But the trouble didn’t stop there. A quick check of his passport showed that Martin’s visa had expired back in October, meaning he’d been illegally staying in Thailand for over six months.
He now faces charges of illegal possession of a Category 2 narcotic and overstaying his visa.
Police say the case is being sent to immigration authorities for further action and Martin’s Koh Samui escape has officially hit a dead end.
Samui was the venue for another drug bust involving a British man. In March, Thai police apprehended a British cannabis smuggler following the discovery of illegal dried cannabis flowers in the luggage of his friend, who had left Thailand via Samui International Airport.
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