Former singer Worayos Boonthongnoom, or Pat Power Pat, was sentenced to a 50-year jail term and fined one million baht for dealing in drugs yesterday. His accomplice, Chung King Fu of Hong Kong, was handed life in prison and a one million baht fine.
But Worayos' girlfriend Charuwan Chotechalermsak, 35, was acquitted of all charges due to insufficient evidence against her.
The Criminal Court found Chung, 38, and Worayos, 24, a former leading vocalist of Power Pat Band guilty of possessing and selling ecstasy pills, ketamine and marijuana.
Chung and Worayos were arrested in two separate entrapments at Foodland Supermarket's Ramkhamhaeng branch and Bodin Sweet Home 2 Condo in Wang Thong Lang district on May 5, 2004.
Seized from them were 2,989 ecstasy pills, 5 grams of marijuana and four tubes of ketamine.
Charuwan was arrested later in Tak.
Chung, also charged with entering the country illegally, confessed to being active in the ecstasy trade, while Worayos admitted to all the charges.
Charuwan denied knowing Chung and told the court that she was only Worayos' girlfriend and had never dealt in drugs.
The court first sentenced Chung to two life terms and a two-million-baht fine for ecstasy possession and sale, and added another four months for illegal entry, but commuted these to life imprisonment and a 1-million-baht fine because of his confessions.
Worayos was first handed two life terms and a two-million-baht fine on the same charges, but the sentence was commuted to 50 years' imprisonment and a 1-million-baht fine for having confessed to all the charges. Worayos' father Niwat Boonthongnoom said his son's lawyer would appeal to the higher court for a more lenient sentence of 25 years. Chung also plans to do the same.
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