Canadian masseur arrested 'for possessing ecstasy and working in prohibited job' on Thai island

A Canadian masseuse was arrested for allegedly possessing ecstasy and working in a prohibited job on a Thai island.

Ky Uwe Jablonowski, 48, was detained by police at a massage parlour on Koh Pha Ngan island in Surat Thani province on September 5.

Tourist police and immigration officers descended on the shop after amid a crackdown on foreigners working illegally in the country, with ministers trying to squeeze extra revenue from tax and visas.

Police said that the Canadian was carrying 0.005 ounces (0.15 grammes) of ecstasy in his pockets. A search of the premises also found three more bags of drugs.

Ky claimed he had been consuming the hard drugs for personal use.

A police spokesman said: 'From the interrogation, the Canadian suspect confessed that the drugs were his and were for his own use only. The officers do not believe him because there were more bags of drugs and purchase orders and transaction records in his phone.'

Police said Ky had also been working without a permit as a masseur - a profession reserved for Thai natives.

The tourist will be charged with 'being an alien who works outside of what is permitted (massage work)' and 'possessing Category I narcotics (MDMA) for illegal consumption'.

He was taken to the Koh Phangan Police Station for further legal action.

According to Thai law, carrying Category I drugs, including LSD and ecstasy, for 'disposal or possession for the purpose of disposal', has a maximum punishment of the death sentence or life in prison. The most severe punishments are reserved for those who 'produce of import' the substances, while simply possessing the drugs can land offenders in jail for up to 10 years.

Dealing the lesser Category 2 drugs, which include cocaine and ketamine, can carry a life sentence while possession alone has a punishment of five years.

Ky's arrest comes amid a wider hunt for foreigners working illegally in prohibited jobs in Thailand.

On September 5, Austrian national Guenter Mayerhofer, 44, and Filipina woman, Kathelyn Celestre, 47, were nabbed for allegedly being illegal tour guides on Koh Pha Ngan.

On May 30, police arrested British national Jabran Elahi, 25, allegedly working without a permit as a foreign tour guide on Koh Pha Ngan.

He was reported to have charged customers around 70,000 THB (1,582 GBP) for 18-day tour packages around various sites in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai provinces.

Being a tour guide is one of 22 occupations that are strictly forbidden to foreigners under Thailand's Foreign Business Act.

Violators may be fined 5,000 to 50,000 THB (107 to 1,070 GBP) and may face deportation to their home country. They will also be banned from seeking a Thai work permit for two years.