79 Brits arrested in Thailand last year

BRITISH travellers have been warned against taking drugs while holidaying abroad, as new figures reveal a large number of those detained in Thailand are substance-related.

Statistics from the British Foreign Office show that 1,057 of 2,582 Brits jailed abroad were charged for drugs offences. A total of 207 were arrested in Spain, followed by the US with 141 then Thailand and France both with 79.

Europe Minister Chris Bryant told the BBC that those arrested on drugs offences faced lengthy jail terms in filthy conditions.

He reiterated that the message was clear, the UK government couldn’t get people out of jail in other countries, so if people don’t want to waste their life away in a tough foreign jail they should be sensible and keep clean.

British Nationals have been reminded to respect the local laws of the country they are visiting and to be aware of the penalties they face if they break the law.

The death sentence can be given to those caught with drugs in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The Foreign Office also warns that many people have an unrealistic expectation of what can be done for them if they are arrested while travelling overseas.

Chief executive of the UK-based charity Prisoners Abroad, Pauline Crowe, said that the conditions can be very poor in overseas prisons, and prisoners are often faced with severe overcrowding, poor quality water and medical care and violence.

Thailand has a notoriously tough reputation for sentencing those caught in possession or trafficking drugs, with many Britons on death row or serving life sentences.