A British national learned a lesson about paying rent the hard way last night when he was arrested at his home in Chiang Mai after allegedly being found with 0.95 grams of crystal meth in his possession and having overstayed his tourist visa by a whopping 414 days — all over a couple months’ rent.
Benjamin John Soulsby, 31, had allegedly failed to pay rent at his Tonpao district house the past two months and instead asked the landlord to simply take his deposits, according to police, who were called in specifically over the rent issue.
When Immigration Police arrived, however, Soulsby would not open the door, so they had to ask for a key from the house owner, whose name was not mentioned, Sanook reported.
After storming in, police allegedly caught Soulsby in the bathroom, flushing crystal meth down the toilet, but traces of the drugs were still on the bathroom floor and drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.
Police Col. Pallop Siriyakul-na-Ayutthaya, deputy commander of the Immigration Police Division 5, said Soulsby’s visa had expired on Oct. 8 last year, according to The Nation.
Soulsby has been charged with overstaying his visa and possession of drugs Category 1. The British Embassy has been notified.
