Amelia ‘Amy’ Jacobs flew out of Suvarnabhumi Airport last August after being released a year before from prison having been held for 11 months. Her show business career came crashing down on September 19th 2017 when she was arrested at a house in Bangkok with her boyfriend, 41-year-old Punyawat Hirantecha, for drug trafficking. Mr Punyawat was sentenced to 25 years in prison a year later in 2018 for the offence.
A former Thai-Dutch TV star who left Thailand this time last year has been slapped with a 33-year jail sentence for drug dealing by a court in Minburi, Bangkok. The Royal Thai Police on Friday confirmed that a warrant has been issued for her arrest.
A Thai actress with Thai -Dutch parents was handed down a 33-year jail sentence by a court in Thailand on Thursday nearly two years after walking free with a suspended sentence in relation to the same incident.
31-year-old Amelia Jacobs or Amy, however, cannot be arrested at this time, as she left Thailand on August 19th last via Subhanaranbumi Airport on a flight to Dubai.
Police released details of the conviction on Friday
Details of the conviction for drug trafficking and the court’s sentence were revealed by police spokesman General Krisana Pattanacharoen on Friday.
‘Preliminary investigation revealed that Amelia had fled the country via Suvarnabhumi Airport on August 22, 2019, on flight EK 0385 heading to Dubai,’ said Police General Krisana.
‘The immigration officials did not detain her since at the time no arrest warrant had been issued. There is no record of her returning to Thailand.’
Sentenced to 33 years in prison by the Minburi Provincial Court for drug trafficking and fined
On Thursday, the Minburi Provincial Court sentenced Ms Jacobs to the lengthy prison term and imposed a fine of ฿666,666 for the distribution of illegal narcotics.
The sentence and case commenced with a raid in the early hours of September 19th in 2017 on a house in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok.
At 12.30 am in the morning, a large force of police swooped on the property in the Chaiyapruek housing estate on Sukhaphiban 5 Road.
Inside they found Ms Jacobs and her then 41-year-old Thai boyfriend and pub manager, Punyawat Hirantecha.
The couple were found with 70 grams of crystal meth drugs, 16 ecstasy tablets, drug paraphernalia and weighing scales.
Released in 2018 after spending 11 months in prison
Ms Jacobs spent the next 11 months in prison before being released in August 2018 after the court found her guilty only of possession of illegal narcotics and imposed a suspended 3-month sentence.
Her boyfriend, however, was not as fortunate.
He was sent away for 25 years and received a fine of ฿750,000.
Became a Buddhist nun
Weeks later, the actress who, at 17 years old, was crowned Ms Thai Teen in 2006 and later went on to have a television career, became a Buddhist nun.
However, concerns soon emerged that she may have received assistance from a number of policemen who gave testimony to the court which helped her case.
This later resulted in an internal police probe into the officers concerned on suspicion of dereliction of duty.
Played the lead role in Channel 7 TV drama
Amy was hugely popular in Thailand and well known for her lead role in the Channel 7 drama ‘Thida Wanorn’ or ‘Monkey Daughter’.
However, following her arrest linked with narcotics in September 2017, she was fired.
The current whereabouts of Ms Jacobs are unknown. It is understood that, in due course, she may become the subject of an Interpol Red Notice for her arrest as a convicted drug trafficker.
Get all our latest stories, follow Thai Examiner on Facebook here
Further reading:
Scramble to register online for state money as banks close over the weekend to defeat the virus
Still a chance to avoid a curfew or lockdown if the public stays at home over the coming 7 days
Emergency centre led by the Prime Minister takes power on Thursday to fight the virus in Thailand
