ECSTASY SMUGGLER - BRITISH TEENAGER GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE FOR DRUG SMUGGLING

A British teenager was yesterday sentenced to life in prison after he
pleaded guilty to possessing ecstasy and bringing the drug into the country.

Michael Alan Connell, 19, was spared the death penalty because he reversed
his earlier "not guilty" plea and admitted bringing 3,400 tablets into the
country on November 10 last year.

During the trial at the end of December, the prosecution claimed Connell
concealed the drugs in two jars of skin cream when he travelled to Thailand
from Manchester, via Dubai.

Connell originally denied the charge and claimed he didn't know the jars of
cream contained drugs. He said he bought the cream in Manchester and
claimed the drugs might have been concealed in the jars during his stopover
in Dubai.

The judges said they had no reason not to believe the testimonies of
airport customs officer Theerayut Bushikanon, who said Connell arrived in
the country carrying the jars of cream and acted suspiciously when the jars
were Xrayed.