HUA HIN Provincial Court quashed a charge of possessing one methamphetamine (Speed) pill filed against a truck driver after a police search on November 13 last year landed him in a legal tangle, Channel 3 News reported today (Sept. 22, 2020).
Mr. Sophon Wongsawat, 47, was driving a truck loaded with rubber sheets from Chumphon to Rayong province when police searched and alleged that they found one Speed pill in the truck. However the suspect has denied drug possession charge throughout.
In reading out the verdict for 10 minutes the judge said he is dropping the charge filed against the defendant because of the following reasons:
– The first policeman who searched the truck did not find any drugs;
– The second policeman said he found one Speed pill but the suspect was not present when he did so;
– The DNA on the coffee tube in which the Speed pill was said to have been found is not comparable;
– Tests revealed that the defendant was not addicted to drugs.
Sophon said if the public prosecutor files an appeal, he would have to wait for the verdict of the higher court. If the Appeal Court upholds the verdict of the Court of First Instance then he would be filing a case against the seven police officers who had arrested him.
Sophon added that this case led to him losing a lot of opportunities, he was moved from driving trucks, paying 20.000 baht a month salary, to be a guard, with the salary dropping to 10,00 baht. His public driving licence had also be confiscated with this causing his family to plunge into difficult times.
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Top: Sophon who has been cleared of a charge of possession of one Speed pill. Photo: Channel 3 News
