Briton faces possible death sentence in Thailand on drugs charges

BANGKOK, Thursday (AFP) - A 47-year-old British man could face the death penalty in Thailand after being charged with drug trafficking in the popular seaside town of Pattaya, officials said Thursday.

Mark Freely, who lives in Britain's second city Birmingham, was arrested on Christmas Day in Pattaya, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Bangkok, for allegedly trafficking one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine.

Four other Britons - Jack Dean, 40, Lee Spence, 37, Nicholas Millburn, 26, and Nicola Allan, 34, from London - also remained in custody after they tested positive for drugs, said the British diplomat here who declined to be named. They have been charged with taking illegal drugs, the diplomat said.

Although the maximum penalty for drug trafficking in Thailand is the death sentence by lethal injection, police said no foreigner charged with drug trafficking in Thailand has been executed in the last 30 years.

"Even though foreigners were sentenced to death, the penalty was reduced to life imprisonment at maximum thanks to royal pardons," said a Thai police official, requesting anonymity.

The police official said the 2003 execution of a Thai man charged with producing and distributing amphetamines was the most recent execution for drug trafficking in the kingdom.

The British diplomat in Bangkok said embassy officials had visited the five and provided them a list of lawyers. But he declined to confirm a report that police raided Freely's apartment following a tip-off from a Thai man.

The diplomat said Freely used to own a bar in Pattaya, the beach resort town popular among Western backpackers and also known for its thriving nightlife.

Last month reputed Dutch gangster Jonh Mieremet, one of the Netherlands' most notorious criminals, was gunned down in Pattaya.