This is the bizarre moment a British tourist allegedly dropped a bag of cocaine at a Thai airport after losing his cool and screaming while rolling around on the floor.
The suspected smuggler had flown from Shanghai in China to the island of Phuket in Thailand when suspicious officers pulled him aside.
Their fears appeared to have been well-founded when the Brit allegedly began rampaging through the hall before rolling on the ground.
Footage shows the man lying on his back as he frantically beat his chest and pleaded for help during the incident on February 18. He kicked his legs up into the air while crying in panic that he was going to die.
But the apparent ploy to distract the officers backfired when 4.11 grams of cocaine fell from his pocket.
The suspect continued rolling on the ground, allegedly dusting the floor with a trail of white powder, which can be seen in the video.
He was arrested and taken into custody to wait for a court hearing, which could see him jailed for life in a hell-hole Thai prison.
Police at the Phuket International Airport confirmed that the powder the man had spilled was cocaine.
A British tourist allegedly dropped a bag of cocaine at a Thai airport after losing his cool
The suspected smuggler had flown from Shanghai in China to the island of Phuket in Thailand when suspicious officers pulled him aside
The suspect was seen rolling on the ground, allegedly dusting the floor with a trail of white powder, which can be seen in the video
Police Major Akkarapon Akkraphon, immigration checkpoint inspector at the airport, said: ‘We charged the tourist with importing a Category II narcotic into the country and illegally possessing it. He was handed over to the inquiry officer of the Sakhu Police Station for legal action.’
The suspect had arrived on Phuket island on Juneyao Air flight HO 1323 from Shanghai but the coke had evaded cops.
Cocaine is classified as a ‘category 2’ narcotic under Thai law. Importers, producers, and exporters face jail sentences depending on the amount, with the most severe being life behind bars.
Despite the severe penalties in law, many tourists are able to ‘negotiate’ with Thai authorities who are not keen on footing the bill for their prison stays.
In May last year, Jamie Louis Swain, 29, from Enfield, north London, was arrested in Phuket when the immigration desk allegedly found cocaine tucked inside his passport.
He was arrested and taken into custody to wait for a court hearing, which could see him jailed for life in a hell-hole Thai prison
Police confirmed that the powder the man had spilled was cocaine
Officers said that Jamie reacted with surprise, swearing, and shaking, prompting authorities to conduct further inspections.
Jamie was taken into custody and sent to court but surfaced again in England a few months later – with his mum complaining that he had been set up by the police.
