AWFULLY WELL KNOWN EXPAT COP ARRESTED FOR DRUGS OFFENCES –
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| Garry Halpin – Phuketwan |
An expat police volunteer well known to both this site and
probably even better known to the media down in Phuket has been arrested for
selling ‘Ice’ and ‘Yaa Baa’ after being arrested in a police sting.
probably even better known to the media down in Phuket has been arrested for
selling ‘Ice’ and ‘Yaa Baa’ after being arrested in a police sting.
No explanation has been given as to why police in Chalong,
Phuket, have turned against Garry Halpin, 57, apart from of course the reasons
of law and order, because he has had close relations with the local police
station for many years – and his adopted role was as foreign arbitrator…that is he took
money for things to be done, not to be done, and/or solve problems.
Phuket, have turned against Garry Halpin, 57, apart from of course the reasons
of law and order, because he has had close relations with the local police
station for many years – and his adopted role was as foreign arbitrator…that is he took
money for things to be done, not to be done, and/or solve problems.
Halpin, who lives in a spacious pool villa, was also the boss of Raya Diving – set behind the police
station.
station.
Halpin was arrested at the Chalong Villas Resort last night.
For the
full story go to Phuketwan which is now reporting that Halpin has not confessed to
dealing in drugs and possessing drugs equipment such as scales and insists he never sold drugs to tourists.
full story go to Phuketwan which is now reporting that Halpin has not confessed to
dealing in drugs and possessing drugs equipment such as scales and insists he never sold drugs to tourists.
This site has been in receipt of a number of complaints relating to this volunteer. Chalong Police too have had their controversial moments.
UPDATE – Latest reports seem to suggest Halpin was remanded in custody to Phuket prison; not a happy situation for him but possibly made worse by the fact there may be people he may not have wished to see again in the jail.
Good! This guy with involved in extorting 60 000 baht from me not even a month ago. He is as corrupt as they come.
Any good expat is happy to see scum taken off of the street, I am Tourist Police and it makes me sad to see this but you have to get rid of the rotten apples before they spread their rottenness to others, I hope if he is found guilty he rots in jail.
Sounds like another farang who thought he'd be smart and play on both sides of the fence. Just like another old crook further up the coast, he thinks by wearing a uniform and playing pretend cop, his own skulduggery will be ignored and go unpunished.
I've said it many times on this blog. Most career villains secretly snitch on other villains. That is how many stay free for so long. As long as they are providing useful info to the cops they are left in play. All too often they get too cocky and think they have the green light from the jacks to do anything.
The worst types are the farangs who rat others out then appear at the police station pretending to be a white knight offering their 'legal expertise,' we all know who they are from this blog.
Again I repeat the old Thai proverb- "Having police friends is like raising cobras, one day your going to get bitten.
Foreigner paying a policeman pushes his luck too far taking advantage of other farangs seems like the underlying narrative here….some people in Pattaya may be looking at this with interest
There's a link to the Colin Vard saga. Is there any news on that? Last I read he had some well connected lawyer working for him but I suspect the whole thing has got bogged down…
Yes Colin has got certain properties back, is still in witness protection, and while many organisations are meant to be investigating, including the DSI, they appear to be doing sweet FA. Chalong Police of course featured heavily in this fiasco.
It will probably be revealed in time but what I'd like to know is he just a guy who got into financial trouble so took to dealing drugs to make ends meet? Or, is it more sinister where he was up to other things or using his position to extort people etc. Are we talking serial offender here or just a guy down on his luck?
Can it be revealed what the complaints to this site were about or would that be unfair? I've seen a lot of Farang's with businesses here that go bad, some turn to the dark side to try to survive. Desperate situations can turn anybody into a criminal. I'll go for a browse at Thai Visa, they've probably convicted and sentenced him already over there LOL.
I think I had better seek the permission of people I have spoken to. Or just leave it at that. Suffice to say that they feel he used the job to his advantage.
Don't be too quick to judge, this guy was/is a very decent chap.
At this stage I will be thinking there is another story behind this. I know for example many situations he was in that could have backfired on him, including one with a generals daughter.
Ludlow, what was it exactly that caused the situation for him to extort 6ok from you ?
Almost certainly Sam. Take this from the Phuket Gazette “Garry was a tourist police volunteer who always helped the Chalong Police to communicate with tourists. He worked closely with police, and used this connection to convince foreigners that he could do what he wanted, right or wrong,” Lt Col Jarun Bangprasert of the Phuket Provincial Police said.
Halpin has always been there when senior police have been transferred. He knows their sins too.
He could walk away.
I was involved in an accident in Rawai. Hit a scooter with 3 girls on it. Garry took my passport. After doing everything right and co operating with both the Police and the family, Garry basically said that I have to pay an exorbitent amount or I wont be going home. I made the mistake of telling Garry that I had to get back home by a certain date. I trusted him but at the end of the day we realised that he was not on our side. I also recieved some info from some connections in Phuket who told me that they knew the mafia was involved in my case. Garry did not have our interests at heart and I am certain that he recieved a cut.
Garry might not be my favourite person or the most upstanding individual. But I do feel for him, being locked away in a Thai prison is something I wish on no one.
Thanks for explaining.
Can I ask you what the amount was?…also who was at fault in the accident and were/had you been drinking at all?
I ask just to try to clarify.
I know Gary was no angel, but he was a good person and would help anyone. He knew how to use the system he was involved in and had been in for many many years, not just since TP days. But that is also part of the allure of living here, the rules are not the same as back home where they stifle you, here they can be bent.
If his involvement in drugs is as described, then I am afraid I would be one to condemn him for foolish decisions. But if it is not as clear cut as depicted, which I think is the case..then he deserves all the help he can get.
Technically, I was at fault. I was turning across their path. However, it was at night and the scooter had no lights. There were witnesses who testified to this. I didnt see them at all. They didnt see me either. The scooter was over loaded and going too fast. I felt terrible and tried to do what was right. I took the girls gifts the day after the accident occured. Furthermore, insurance covered all their costs and gave an additional 50k payment to each of the girls. I was completely sober but the police never even tested me. I think from the beginning it was simply an opportunity for them to milk a Farang.
In the end, I gave the police 60k cash to get my passport.
Sounds like a straight out shake down. This guy had no right to ask for your passport. The only time you can have your passport taken is if you are facing serious charges and the court orders it. The passport is the property of the country that issues it. Looks like he was working with the police if he took the passport. Judging by his photo he also looks like he was using his own product. If I was you I'd go down the cells and let him know karma is a bitch. You lost some dough which hurts but you can sleep well knowing he's now going to go through what he probably put others through. Maybe you can recommend him a good lawyer, like Brian Goudie at Alba law or Drew Noyes at One Stop Services.
That's a common enough shakedown in Thailand Leige. Happened to me many years ago on Koh Samui. Had just come out of Burma and send film crew to Samui for four days. I caught up with them a day later to find they had hired one of those ridiculous big wheeled jeeps. To cut the story short the camera rolled when the brakes failedon the most dangerous bend between Chawaeng and Lamai. We were saved by the roll bar and lucky not to have been thrown over the cliff. Unfortunately the sound and camera guys handed over their passports. It cost us a lot of money to get off the island. Naturally the jeep had no insurance even though it was paid for.
insert- the cameraman rolled the jeep. (He (Jon) went on to become the director of 'Coronation Street'!!
I've come across a few of these parasites in Thailand who 'help' foreigners inaccurate tight spot sometimes of their own making sometimes not. There's even an Italian guy who 'works' in Soi Cowboy helping farangs there, after 4am he hits the late night discos looking for more 'commissions'
How many people that now condemn Gary for his actions and decisions, would call him to help if one of their children were in deep dark trouble here?
He is an alleged drug dealer of one of the worst drugs out there. I wouldn't want him near my children, or sorting out any of their problems. I believe he joined the volunteer police for his own personal gain, not to help others. He abused his position of trust and is paying the price,
I should have written 'called him before'…obviously I would not be calling him for help now, especially as he has no access to a mobile phone, unless he smuggled one in, in a water tight bag.
I do not believe he joined for that reason, but he may have shifted direction relatively quickly once he was in. I know he was asked for a long long time by the police to become one, he declined each and every time, but then for whatever reason, he joined up years later.
Sam. I have known this individual for many, many years. I can't tell you how many stories he has told me about his being asked to be in this or that organization by the Thai's he knows. I know also that he claimed to have been elected village headman by a local community. All are possibly true but fairly unfathomable to me since he is also well known as a drug dealer, user and general ne'er-do-well.
I have personally heard him discuss/brag about fooling tourists and splitting the cash with Thai Officials
I have personally seen him using/distributing drugs on more than one occasion and in each case I was trying to help a friend get the monkey off his back only to have Garry "come-through".
I have also heard him name a lot of names, influential in the Thai and Expat community whom he said he had sold to or used with … I could go on and on but suffice to say this is not someone who took a bad turn but one of those move to Thailand and recreate yourself as a person of influence stories only deep down you are a scumbag.
I am dubious about justice being served here, this is a person who talks a lot and at least claims to know a lot, who at least seems to have some assets left that might be of interest to someone. That is a formula for ….silence….. not a formula for justice.
There are very few people who probably should be in a Thai prison but this person might be on that list. Over many, many years this dis-ambiguous individual has caused far more damage than anyone realizes. As Andrew suggests if he were to spend any time in prison he might soon find out how many himself, but I have my doubts it will come to that.
More curious to me is the real reason the Nop and Porns turned on one of their gadfly's. Without people like the "Kamnan" the Chalong "system" won't work and he seems to have more than enough money left (if not in cash, in assets) to get them to move along. Plus, he definitely should know some of the ins and outs of the local scam-o-rama, why did they even bother? Not that we will ever know openly but I do have my suspicions. In the interim though, in memory of my friends who fell in with this jackass and fell out with their lives, families and friends, I will enjoy the day with pleasant thoughts of the "Kamnan" seeing some old friends in the Phuket Hilton.