Thai cannabis worker tosses tourist around for scam attempt
He tried to swindle his store out of US$875 worth of product
Rowan Dunne
Thailand has long drawn a certain breed of tourist who treats the kingdom like a personal playground for bad behaviour, cheap thrills and the occasional attempt to pull a fast one. Many arrive expecting leniency and leave a trail of chaos in their wake, only to discover that locals rarely tolerate being taken for fools.
Footage of one such confrontation has now gone viral. A Thai cannabis shop worker in Pattaya roughed up a British man after he allegedly tried to scam him out of payment for a sizeable order.
According to reports from Thai media, the 51-year-old identified as Matthew Ryan visited the shop in North Pattaya on Aug. 8 and obtained cannabis products valued at around 29,200 baht (US$875). He claimed to have transferred the money and produced two electronic payment slips as proof. Staff later discovered that no funds had reached the account and concluded the records were fake. The shop filed a police complaint, issued a public warning and spent nearly a month searching for Ryan.
On the evening of Aug. 30, a tip led the 31-year-old employee known as Ice to Soi Bong Koch in central Pattaya. There he spotted Ryan riding a distinctive blue Honda Scoopy. Ice intercepted him in broad daylight. Video circulating online shows Ice dragging Ryan from the motorcycle and locking him in a chokehold while shouting that the man was a thief. Bystanders tried to intervene, but Ice refused to release his grip and continued demanding repayment.
Both men later appeared at a local Police Station. Ryan admitted using the false slips and agreed to repay the full amount in three instalments of 10,000, 10,000 and 9,200 baht. Meanwhile, police are handling the assault separately. Officers summoned Ice, who admitted acting out of anger and acknowledged that he was wrong to lose his temper. The pair then went their separate ways.
Getting on the wrong side of Thai men is a questionable decision. Muay Thai runs deep in the national culture, and a taxi driver or street food vendor may easily have logged over a hundred amateur bouts for all one knows. Fighting skill is common rather than exceptional in the country.
This petty dispute sits against a larger concerning backdrop. Thailand’s cannabis industry itself now faces serious pressure. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul recently signalled that he is considering re-criminalising the plant after major international seizures linked to Thai product and widespread backlash over illegal exports.
𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐒 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐋 🥊🇹🇭 A video circulating online shows a 31-year-old Thai cannabis shop worker confronting and repeatedly punching a British man in the middle of a Show more
Read more: Young Muay Thai fighter’s lung cancer death raises screening eligibility concerns
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