American held with 6.6kg of heroin at Phuket airport
According to Phuket tourist police, informants tipped detectives on Monday that an American man would be attempting to smuggle drugs out of the country.
On Wednesday detectives located the suspect and followed him to Phuket airport. An X-ray of his suitcase showed suspicious items when the man was checking in for his flight.
Police found 10 boxes of creamer, which actually contained packets of heroin weighing a total of 6.6kg.
The suspect, Tyler Luong, told police that a French friend had asked him to carry the suitcase to France. He planned to take flights to the destination via Doha and Brussels.
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Bangkok Post
17-07-2025
- Bangkok Post
American held with 6.6kg of heroin at Phuket airport
PHUKET: A 60-year-old American man was arrested at Phuket airport on Wednesday evening after police found 6.6 kilogrammes of heroin in his luggage as he prepared to board a flight for France. According to Phuket tourist police, informants tipped detectives on Monday that an American man would be attempting to smuggle drugs out of the country. On Wednesday detectives located the suspect and followed him to Phuket airport. An X-ray of his suitcase showed suspicious items when the man was checking in for his flight. Police found 10 boxes of creamer, which actually contained packets of heroin weighing a total of 6.6kg. The suspect, Tyler Luong, told police that a French friend had asked him to carry the suitcase to France. He planned to take flights to the destination via Doha and Brussels.
Bangkok Post
16-07-2025
- Bangkok Post
'Epstein files' explained: Why Trump is under pressure
WASHINGTON — A perceived lack of transparency over the US investigations into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has carved a rare chasm between President Donald Trump and his typically loyal Republican base. As Trump struggles to quell his supporters' obsessions with the case -- one long surrounded by conspiracy theories -- Agence France-Presse (AFP) outlines its history and why it has caused so much outrage. Origins of the Epstein case Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy American financier, was first charged with sex offences in 2006 after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police that he had molested their daughter at his Florida home. He avoided federal charges -- which could have seen him face life in prison -- due to a controversial plea deal with prosecutors that saw him jailed for just under 13 months. In July 2019, he was arrested again in New York and charged with trafficking dozens of teenage girls and engaging in sex acts with them in exchange for money. Prosecutors said he worked with employees and associates to ensure a "steady supply of minor victims to abuse." Epstein pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. On Aug 10, 2019, while in custody awaiting trial, authorities said he was found dead in his prison cell after hanging himself. A separate case against Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for helping him abuse girls, detailed Epstein's connections with high-profile figures like Britain's Prince Andrew and former US president Bill Clinton. Both have denied any wrongdoing. Why are there conspiracy theories? Some people believe that authorities are concealing details about the Epstein case to protect rich and powerful elites who associated with him, including Trump. Those ideas have gripped Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement -- but demands for more transparency have crossed the political aisle. One key theory centers on a rumored client list of individuals who committed sex offences alongside Epstein. The Trump administration has insisted that no such list exists. Skeptics also allege suspicious circumstances in Epstein's death such as the security cameras around his cell apparently malfunctioning on the night he died, alongside other irregularities. Trump and the Epstein case Trump, who as a New York property magnate rubbed shoulders with Epstein, said when re-running for president that he would "probably" release files related to the case. But since taking office, many of Trump's supporters have been disappointed by what they see as a failure to deliver. The 79-year-old himself was dragged into the conspiracy theories after his former advisor Elon Musk claimed in June -- in a now-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter -- that Trump was "in the Epstein files." The Trump administration's efforts to appease demands for a full disclosure of the so-called Epstein files have largely fallen short. A bundle released in February that promised to shed light on the Epstein case contained little new information. Meanwhile, an almost 11-hour video published this month to dispel theories Epstein was murdered fell flat. The camera angle showed a section of the New York prison on the night Epstein died, but appeared to be missing a minute of footage, fueling more speculation online. And a memo from the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last week saying the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation was met by calls for the heads of each agency to resign. What comes next? Trump has been towing a delicate line -- saying he supports the release of any "credible" files related to Epstein while dismissing the case as "pretty boring stuff." But even the normally authoritative president seems unable to arrest the disruption, as critics and even key allies call for more transparency. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, has not followed Trump's line on the issue and has instead urged the Justice Department to make public any documents linked to Epstein. Meanwhile, Democrats have seized on the rift between Trump and his party by demanding his administration publish the full evidence held by prosecutors in their case against Epstein.
Bangkok Post
14-07-2025
- Bangkok Post
Naked American 'rescued' from condo drainage pipe
A naked American who insisted he needed no help was hauled out of the drainage system at a condominium building in Bangkok's Chomthong district on Monday morning. The man crawled deeper into the pipe, distancing himself from rescuers with cutting and drilling equipment who were working to free him, and at one point biting a rescuer. He was discovered by residents, who called Bangkhuntien police to the scene, a condominium building on Kanlapaphruek Road. They told police a man had fallen through a gap in the concrete separating the building from a canal embankment. Police learned the man was a 28-year-old American identified as "Jack". He was lying naked in the underground space with his legs protruding from a drainage pipe visible from the canal. Rescuers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department arrived with cutting and drilling equipment to assist in the man's extraction. (continues below) The man was conscious and indicated to rescuers in English that he did not require assistance and could emerge on his own. Despite rescue efforts involving cutting and drilling through the concrete, the man crawled deeper into the pipe while shouting incoherently. Rescuers entered the confined space and used a piece of canvas to secure the man's body before pulling him up to safety as another team pushed his legs upward from the water below. During the rescue, the man bit into a woman rescuer's watch strap, chewing on it before spitting it out. After his extraction, he continued speaking incoherently and spat at rescuers, who promptly place a mask over his mouth and tied him to a backboard. (continues below) The man suffered only minor abrasions, no serious injuries. Rescuers said he displayed symptoms consistent with drug intoxication, including paranoia and confusion. A foreign resident at the condominium assisted as translator. Jack indicated he had previously lived in the building with a Thai girlfriend, though details of how he entered the drainage space remained unclear. The man was taken to Somdet Chaopraya Hospital for treatment and the US embassy asked to inform his relatives. It had not been confirmed the man previously lived in the building. Police were continuing their inquiries.
