UK mum insists her son was set up after being caught with cocaine hidden in his passport at Phuket airport. Despite his legal conviction and fine, she bizarrely claims Western tourists are being targeted. She warns others to stay vigilant as the ordeal has left the family financially and emotionally shattered back at home in Britain.
A UK mother is urging travellers to Southeast Asia—especially Thailand—to be extra vigilant with their personal belongings. Michelle Swain, mother of 29-year-old James Swain, says her family was devastated when her son was arrested at Phuket International Airport on 2 May 2024. Authorities discovered 0.42 grams of cocaine hidden inside his passport. The drugs were found by a shocked Immigration Bureau officer while inspecting the British traveller’s passport. Now, Ms Swain makes a bizarre claim that her son was set up by unknown individuals. She says the ordeal has left her family reeling, both from the financial burden and the trauma of her son suddenly finding himself behind bars in a foreign country.
In August 2024 a British man was deported from Thailand. Before that, he was slapped with a £1,137 fine. It came after Immigration Bureau officers found cocaine hidden in his passport. That was on May 2nd 2024. However, now his mother insists the drugs were planted—and claims her son fell victim to a set-up targeting Western tourists.
For a young man caught red-handed with a scheduled narcotic, he appeared to have gotten off lightly. However, that is not how his mother in Britain sees it. She has vociferously protested his innocence since then despite acute public scepticism.
Michelle Swain, 57, insists her son James Louis Swain, 29, was targeted.
Routine passport check at Phuket led to the discovery of cocaine hidden inside British tourist’s passport
She believes this happened after her son left Dubai Airport on the second leg of his flight to Thailand. He had flown in from the UK via Dubai for what was supposed to be a short beach holiday.
However, when he passed through Phuket immigration, officers stopped him as a matter of routine. A young female Immigration officer was subsequently startled when a sachet of white powder reportedly dropped from inside his passport.
“He went through Heathrow and Dubai. It’s just too strange,” Michelle told the UK’s Daily Mail. “I still believe it was planted.”
Thai police later confirmed that the 0.42 grams of powder was cocaine. James was arrested, charged, and taken away in handcuffs. He was held in a cramped jail cell without food or water.
“He was terrified,” Michelle said. “They said cocaine fell out of his passport. But that’s not possible—he had it out at every airport.”
James had carried that passport through two major security checks—first at Heathrow, then again at Dubai. According to his mother, not once had any suspicious item been flagged. “If it had been in there the whole time, surely someone would’ve spotted it,” she claimed.
Thai law classifies cocaine possession as a serious offence. Penalties can include a prison term of up to five years. In addition to a fine of up to ฿100,000 (£2,274). If charged with importing drugs, the punishment can escalate to life imprisonment.
Despite severe penalties, bail was granted with strict travel bans and police reporting orders in place
Although the case could have ended in disaster, James was granted bail after two days in detention. He paid just £250 and was temporarily released. Still, he was banned from leaving the country and ordered to report regularly to Thai authorities.
Michelle flew to Thailand that same day. “He was scared stiff,” she recalled. “Then, he didn’t know what was going to happen. He couldn’t even eat.”
James spent the next three months stuck in Phuket. He wasn’t allowed to leave while his case moved slowly through the courts. “It was like a bad dream that wouldn’t end,” his mother said.
In July 2024, James finally appeared before a judge. The court fined him ฿50,000 and issued a deportation order. But instead of being put straight on a plane home, Thai immigration officers transferred him to the notorious Bangkok Immigration Detention Centre (IDC).
The IDC has been widely condemned by human rights groups. It’s overcrowded, unsanitary, and in some cases described as “inhumane.” Detainees sleep on mats on bare concrete. Many lack clean water and access to toilets. Ventilation is poor, and medical care is minimal.
“He got a mat and had to sleep beside strangers,” Michelle said. “People warned him, ‘You might never get out.’ That was the worst part.”
Detained in a harsh and overcrowded detention centre, James waited several days for deportation to the UK
James remained in the IDC for several days. Other detainees there had been held for months—or even years—awaiting deportation. Finally, in August, he was placed on a flight back to the UK.
“He’s home now, but the stress nearly destroyed us,” Michelle said. “He went out for a holiday and came back with a criminal record.”
Even now, the family is shaken. The ordeal left deep emotional scars. “People online are calling him stupid, but they have no idea,” she added. “This could happen to anyone.”
Indeed, just under a year after James’s arrest, a New Zealander was caught at the same airport. Significantly that case disproves Ms Swain’s far-fetched theory. That tourist was reportedly found with 0.28 grams of cocaine. However, he owned up and admitted the drugs were for personal use. He was similarly arrested and fined.
Both suspects faced charges for personal drug use only, in accordance with Thai law and procedure
Nonetheless, both suspects were treated correctly according to Thai law. Indeed, they were given the benefit of the doubt because of the low quantity. Therefore, they were only charged with personal use.
Her son’s treatment in the Thai legal system, she said, was harsh and confusing. “No one explained anything,” she recalled. “If I didn’t have the money to fly over or hire a lawyer, what then?”
She also criticised the lack of support from UK authorities. “They didn’t lift a finger,” she said. “We were completely alone.”
Despite being freed, James’s ordeal is far from over. He now has a drug conviction on his Thai record, which could affect future travel. “He won’t go back to Thailand, ever,” Michelle said. “None of us will.”
She also worries about other travellers. “People think Thailand is paradise,” she said. “But the moment something goes wrong, you’re on your own.”
The lasting trauma has changed James’s life while highlighting risks in Thailand’s tourist legal system
The trauma still lingers. James remains shaken and avoids discussing the incident. His family says the experience changed him. “He’s quieter now. He doesn’t go out. He stays close to home.”
Michelle says she’s speaking out so other families won’t suffer the same. “Tourists need to know. Check your bags. Check your passport. Don’t trust anyone.”
According to Thai officials, drug cases involving foreigners are increasing. However, critics say the legal process lacks transparency. It certainly is a different legal process. Many such arrests result in fines and deportation. Certainly, this was a simple case—open and shut on the day Mr. Swain was arrested, with photographic and scientific evidence.
“There’s no appeal,” Michelle said. “You either pay or you stay locked up.”
Of course, there is a legal appeal process in Phuket. However, in this case, there would have been no basis for an appeal. Certainly not on the facts of the case.
Notably, Thailand has strict drug laws, and Mr. Swain could well have also been imprisoned. Even so, an appeal, if lodged, would have meant her son staying in Thailand for many more months. And afterwards, the outcome may have been far worse.
Michelle has compiled evidence and warns others as foreign drug cases in Thailand reportedly rise sharply
Nervertheless Ms. Swain says she has kept all the court papers, bail receipts and flight records. “I want people to see the truth,” she said. “My son is not a criminal.”
The UK woman’s claims are both outlandish and somewhat untrue. For instance, her son committed a crime and certainly has been convicted. Indeed many would say he got off lightly and was dealt with fairly.
Thailand makes no apologies for its strict laws on illicit narcotics. There is zero tolerance, even for small amounts, unlike many Western countries today.
In the end, Michelle Swain continues with her denial that her son was caught in possession of cocaine. She insists her son was unlucky—but not alone. “I’ve spoken to others. It’s happening more often. And it’s always someone from the West.” That may be true, but it may well be just a sad reflection of what is happening in the West.
British man’s holiday nightmare as cocaine is found between the pages of his passport on arrival in Phuket
24-year-old New Zealand tourist arrested. Cocaine found inside his passport clearing Phuket Airport
UK man sees dream Thai holiday end in a prison hell hole. Says he never did drugs but somehow went mad
However, she sees a pattern. “Tourists bring money. When something like this happens, families will pay anything to get their kids home.” Of course, that is also true. However, the message should be clear: anyone dabbling in scheduled narcotics should avoid Thailand.
Although James is now back in the UK, the cost has been high—financially and emotionally for his family. “It cost us thousands,” Michelle said. “And we’ll never forget it.”
Now, she warns others planning trips abroad: “Be careful. Even in paradise, things can go very wrong—very fast.”
Certainly, Ms. Swain is right about one thing. More UK holidaymakers are ending up on the wrong side of the law because of illicit drug misadventures in Thailand. It is coming at a time when more UK visitors are arriving, many of them younger adults.
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Further reading:
24 year old New Zealand tourist arrested. Cocaine found inside his passport clearing Phuket Airport
Sadistic murderer ‘Ice Metal Casket’ sentenced for rape of a woman at gunpoint in latest conviction
