Thailand's Drug Craze Stacey Dooley Investigates

Necesito cobertura, primer puente.

'All over the world,

'hundreds of thousands of people are fighting a hidden war...'

Por donde estan?

So what's happening up there? What's going on?

'..the outcome of which affects us all.

'It's the war against drugs.

'In this series, I'll travel to the front line

'of this conflict.

'I've travelled to Peru, a country that's now replaced Colombia

'as the world's number-one coca producer.'

So this is it, one step closer to being the cocaine we know at home.

Oh, my gosh!

'But tonight, I'm in Thailand, investigating a drug called yaba.'

This is a home-made bong.

This is what a lot of kids in Thailand are using

to smoke the yaba.

'A menacing mix of methamphetamine and caffeine.'

-This is the yaba?

-Yes.

So you've seized 120,000 yaba tablets today?

'It's creating a new epidemic.

'It's gripping a country

'and is ravaging a generation.'

There's now 12-year-olds clucking and addicted to yaba in Thailand.

'I join the police in their desperate fight against this drug.'

The police officer's just said,

"Jump in the car, we're going to go to arrest somebody,"

and then, I heard somebody say, "He's crazy, he's got a gun."

'I investigate the truth behind Thailand's drug craze.'

I run the risk of never being allowed

to film in Thailand ever, ever, ever again,

because I'm outside this prison telling you this now.

Thailand is one of the most popular holiday destinations

for young Brits.

A million of us travel here every year.

We know it for its temples,

sandy beaches...

..and full-moon parties.

But now, there's a new and disturbing phenomenon

sweeping across the country.

Causing crime and violence is a drug called yaba,

which, in Thai, means "crazy medicine".

'I've got hold of this news footage

'showing a yaba addict threatening to harm his own child.

'And another yaba addict attacking police with a meat cleaver.'

And he's just acting completely insane,

like he's violent, he looks crazed.

So the idea that it has this kind of effect

on a lot of people in Thailand is...

..is quite something.

'I'm on my way to Thailand

'to find the story behind this shocking footage.

'My investigation begins

'where most tourists coming to Thailand start their holiday.'

Here I am in Bangkok,

one of the most exciting places in the whole world.

I don't know anyone who's done a stint in South East Asia

and hasn't stopped off in Thailand

and done at least a couple of nights in Bangkok.

'On this street,

'some of the local ticket touts can also get you yaba.

'It can be bought for as little as £1.50,

'which is vastly cheaper than other drugs like cocaine or ecstasy.'

This drug seems to have taken Thailand by storm.

So the idea that you can walk 30 seconds, a minute down the road

and collect yaba isn't a massive shock.

Scary, but it isn't a surprise.

In less than five years,

yaba has completely overtaken all other drug use in Thailand.

I want to see where this drug is coming from

and what the police are doing to fight this surge of yaba.

Sawat dii kha!

In here? Thank you.

'So I travel 600 miles to the Thai-Burmese border.

'The newest frontier on Thailand's war on drugs.'

And the front line is the Golden Triangle.

The Golden Triangle is a popular tourist resort

where two rivers join and three countries meet.

So you've got Laos, Burma and here, Thailand.

Now, the Thai police know that there are hundreds of yaba labs

across the Burmese border.

The yaba is being produced by ethnic militias and rebel armies,

which makes it very, very difficult to stop the flow,

the amount of yaba coming into Thailand.

The traffickers are often heavily armed

and they'll come in on foot or sometimes they'll use this river.

The yaba is smuggled in vessels posing as fishing boats,

merchant ships and even ferries carrying tourists.

In many of the neighbouring towns

scattered along Thailand's thousand-mile border with Burma,

you can be sure that yaba is changing hands.

Right now, I'm en route to the border town of Chiang Mai.

This place is notorious for trading yaba.

The border patrol police actually have one of their largest bases here

and the police have a whole museum that's completely dedicated to drugs.

So they've invited me over, I'm hoping to have a nose around

and try to understand and learn even more about yaba.

-Hello! Sawat dii kha. How are you?

-Merin.

-Merin? I'm Stacey. Lovely to meet you.

-Yes, OK.

Lieutenant Colonel Merin is a narcotics expert

and introduces me to the crazy drug.

-And this is yaba?

-Yes.

So this is real yaba?

'Yaba is a mixture of methamphetamine,

'also known as crystal meth or ice, and caffeine.'

HE SPEAKS THAI

'Meth gives an instant euphoric rush of adrenaline,

'and the caffeine prolongs it -

'heavy users can stay awake for days.'

-Can you talk me through this?

-Yes, certainly.

What exactly does this do?

How many yaba pills do you think are being produced in Burma?

300 million?

That's astonishing.

That's a lot of yaba.

Once smugglers get the yaba across the border,

their next challenge is heading south by road.

I've joined the police at one of their numerous checkpoints,

strategically positioned on all major roads

coming down from the northern provinces.

I've asked if I can just follow them

when they search some of the larger vehicles.

There's a bus over there that they want to have a nose at,

and they've said, "Yes,"

but I'm not allowed to go in unless I've got this vest on,

just because the yaba smugglers can be quite dangerous.

'Today, the police have received a tip-off

'about a huge amount of yaba being smuggled.'

They're searching the people, they're searching their bags,

they're searching their luggage,

everything that they own is being really vigorously looked through.

To me, it seems quite intrusive,

but the police obviously think it's necessary.

The police believe that many traffickers also take yaba,

so anyone they think looks suspicious has their urine tested.

The police officers have felt it's necessary

to pull two men out of the bus,

bring them here and ask them to give them a urine sample.

'The police are now testing people's urine for yaba all over Thailand

'and the young men comply without any objections.'

-It's negative.

-Yeah.

So this man was completely innocent, he's been pulled off the bus,

forced to give a urine sample and now he's free to go?

'Both guys tested negative.

'The bus search also proves fruitless.'

It's all suddenly got very panicked very quickly.

-I don't know what's going on. The guy in charge...

-Get in the back. Get in the back!

I'm not really sure what's going on right now.

The guy in charge just jumped into this van.

He told me to jump into this van.

Thank you.

So I think the reason we've rushed up here

is because one of the police, or a few of the police guys,

saw this car panic when they saw the checkpoint, so they stopped short.

They didn't want to come through the checkpoint,

that's obviously sent alarm bells ringing.

'The lieutenant in charge tells me

'when traffickers stop short of a checkpoint,

'they're known to throw out the yaba.

'With no proof of possession, the police can't make an arrest.'

If you were going to describe a stereotypical trafficker,

you probably wouldn't describe these girls.

You know, this girl's really young.

There's a lady with her pet dog here.

There's an older lady in the back. They've all got ID.

They've all showed their ID.

'In response to the increased police checkpoints,

'smugglers are recruiting unlikely-looking traffickers

'such as women and children.'

Everyone is a suspect.

You have to try and stop everyone

because anyone that comes past may possibly be trying to smuggle yaba?

That's interesting - locals and tourists are smuggling yaba?

'After a thorough search,

'the police are confident that this vehicle is not carrying yaba.'

Why did they say they stopped so suddenly

if they didn't have any yaba?

'Despite finding nothing so far,

'I'm told the police make regular seizures of yaba,

'so I'm determined to keep looking.'

We've just been given a call

that they've found a massive amount of yaba at another checkpoint.

So we need to try and get there as fast as we can,

cos I'm desperate to see this, this...big delivery.

We're here. This is the checkpoint.

Here's the police to my right.

There's a big bag on the table. I wonder whether that's the yaba.

It all looks very busy and very happening.

Sawat dii kha. This way?

'It seems like my luck may have changed

'with this haul of yaba a smuggler was trying to send by post.'

This is an astonishing amount.

Who was the smuggler? How was he carrying it? How did you find this?

And you have only been able to catch one? You've only managed

to get one smuggler and put him in prison?

And how much yaba is here?

So you've seized 120,000 yaba tablets today?

And I wonder if you could tell me how much all of this yaba is worth?

So 24 million baht, this yaba is worth,

and in English sterling, that's about half a million pounds.

That's so much, this is a really, really big find.

You've got to be happy.

'The police point out the newest trends in the yaba they're seizing.'

Smells like sweets. Vanilla?

-Vanilla.

-Chocolate.

-Vanilla.

Yeah. Why, why does it smell like that?

So it's used for marketing purposes,

to sell it to teenagers?

'The candy-scented pills have opened up a whole new market -

'Thailand's youth.'

Do you have any idea where this yaba was meant to go?

So on its way to a tourist destination?

Yes.

So do you think this yaba could end up in tourists' hands,

British hands?

'Last year, the Thai police seized over 84 million yaba pills,

'almost double the previous year,

'but they estimate that's only 10%

'of the yaba being trafficked into Thailand.'

Yesterday, they found 20,000, today, 120,000,

six days ago, 40,000.

So that just gives you an idea of the sheer amount of yaba

that's floating around here, it's literally everywhere.

The arrested smuggler is currently in custody

at the local police station.

I wanted to interview him,

but because of the ongoing investigation, I'm not allowed.

So, as it stands now, the alleged smuggler is behind bars,

he's under full investigation.

The police were saying he's due in court tomorrow.

They also said that because of the size of the seizure,

you know, half a million pounds' sterling worth of yaba,

it's not unrealistic to think that he could face life imprisonment or execution.

They also said that this might be the tip of the iceberg,

so there might be bigger players involved, more yaba involved

and a lot more money involved.

'It's an all-too-familiar story in this part of Thailand.

'It's estimated that over 90% of the communities in this area and neighbouring provinces

'are involved in the use or sale of yaba.'

I mean, these surroundings are just utterly, utterly beautiful,

you couldn't make it up.

Elephants roaming free.

All over this side, to my left,

there's kids splashing about in the water,

there's livestock roaming about everywhere.

It's the most peaceful place, probably, I've ever been,

but this very same area is actually notorious for trafficking yaba.

So it's a crazy thought, no?

To see, visually, it's the most stunning place,

but actually, there's a darker undertone here and it's growing.

'I'm travelling to a village 30 kilometres from the border.

'The area is one of the main routes into Thailand from Burma.'

Remote and isolated villages like this one

are the perfect breeding ground for drug traffickers.

You know, if you've got little or no education,

there's no opportunities, it is easy for me to understand

how some villagers may see smuggling yaba as their only option.

To tackle the problem, there's a new venture

between the Ministry of Education and the Narcotics Control Board.

Police officers are now being trained

to teach drug awareness in schools to children as young as five.

How are you? I'm Stacey. Nice to meet you.

This is the school? I can come?

Thank you.

'Back home, kids this age are taught not to talk to strangers.

'But here, at this primary school,

'the children are taught to say no to yaba.'

-Yaba.

-English?

-Yaba.

-Yaba?

-Yeah.

Yaba.

'These five-year-old kids are told what yaba looks like

'and what will happen to them if they take it.'

Come and show me what yaba does.

-STACEY GASPS

-Oh!

I think it's nice the way the school

are just incredibly open and really candid about yaba.

Tiny little diddy kids, drawing pictures of the yaba pill

and pretending to eat a bit and they start punching themselves

and flinging themselves around the classroom.

So it's obvious that they know,

they're very aware of the effects that yaba can have.

You know, they're all laughing and they find it funny,

but, essentially, the important message is there.

I know it's very difficult to imagine now,

cos they're all diddy little tiny things, running round eating ice cream,

but essentially, these kids could grow up to smuggle yaba,

to take yaba, to become addicts, to traffic it,

and, you know, the reality is that means they could be shot at,

they could face life in prison, they could be executed.

You know, Thailand still executes drug dealers.

It's a serious, real problem that needs tackling.

Some officials estimate that nearly half of Thailand's youth have tried yaba.

Even more worryingly,

the new generation of drug users is becoming increasingly violent.

'It's late evening and I'm back out on patrol with the police.'

It's all been a bit of a mad scramble, to be honest,

I don't know enough about what's actually going on.

The police officers just said,

"Jump in the car, we're going to go to arrest somebody,"

and then, I heard someone say, "He's crazy, he's got a gun."

'We approach what looks like a quiet residential backstreet.'

I can come? I come?

I stay?

'I'm forced to stay back

'as I watch a team of heavily-armed officers investigate the situation.'

They've told me categorically to stay in the car,

there's no way on Earth I'm allowed out.

He's just flipped his...big gun up.

'Once it's safe, I join the officers at the scene

'as the 21-year-old gunman is apprehended.

'He appears harmless,

'but only minutes before, he was pointing a gun at his family.'

What's happened? What's happened?

'The officers begin to search the house for evidence of drugs.'

Hello?

So he's smashed the place up.

'There is no yaba, but plenty of drug paraphernalia.'

This is what he will have used to smoke the yaba.

It's a home-made bong,

this is a home-made bong.

They're taking this to the station now for evidence.

This is what a lot of kids in Thailand are using,

just cheap, home-made bongs.

'Before he's taken into custody, I want to speak to him.'

Have you been smoking yaba?

Hello. This is his mum.

So, Mum, what happened?

Why did you call the police?

And when you called the police, you mentioned that he had a gun.

Is this the first time that you've

seen him pull out a gun and act this crazy?

The young man will have his urine tested back at the station.

if any trace of yaba is found,

he will be sent to compulsory rehab or prison.

'I think the scariest thing for me

'is, you know, Mum was saying ordinarily he's a really good lad.

'Just before I arrived,

'he was tearing chunks out of the house walls,

'he literally pulled a firearm and put it towards his grandad's head.'

Imagine how pushed you'd have to be to pick up the phone

to your own boy and go,

"You're going to have to come and get him, he's completely nuts."

'My time up north has come to an end

'and I'm now heading back to Bangkok.'

I want to find out why yaba is so addictive

and turns seemingly calm people violent.

'In my hotel room I do some research.'

It's highly addictive and stimulates the central nervous system.

The brain elevates your need for the drug to the same level

as anything else you have to do to carry on living, like breathing.

So, imagine, you've only taken it a couple of times but then you start thinking,

"Got to get yaba, got to get yaba."

That's all you can think.

If you're using yaba for a long time,

it can lead to psychotic states, making users potentially violent.

This bit is the most shocking part.

It says here, even after as little as two or three uses,

it affects the way your brain works.

Which is a really scary thought, no?

It's a big risk, isn't it, to take

because you want to try a new party drug.

The Thai Ministry of Health have reported a dramatic rise

in the number of 15 to 19-year-olds seeking help for yaba dependency.

With so many young people using this highly addictive

and dangerous drug, I want to know what is being done to help them.

Ah, it's locked?

-Spot-on. Thank you. I can come in?

-Yes.

Thank you.

'Even though most of the patients in this hospital

'came here voluntarily, it is a secure unit

'and once in, they can't get out.'

Thank you.

Oh, wow.

'Once I get to the ward and see the state of some of the young men,

'I realise why.'

So, am I allowed to come in, is that possible?

'I meet Dr Narong, who works closely with patients

'who have the most acute yaba addictions.'

So, doctor, I wonder if you could explain to me

the kind of people that are on this particular ward?

The doctor explains that long-term use of yaba

changes the structure of the brain and can lead to psychosis.

As well as recurring hallucinations and delusions,

symptoms can include severe paranoia,

violent and disturbed thoughts,

extreme confusion and even schizophrenia.

Am I right in thinking that everybody on this ward

was heavily addicted to yaba,

so they're now obviously acting very different to

"normal" people who don't take yaba?

Yes, yes, yes.

And you can see that very clearly.

Everyone here, to put it bluntly, looks almost like zombies.

Yes, yes.

'I'm keen to know how long the psychosis is likely to last.'

So if you come to somewhere like this, you can get better.

But sometimes the damage is already done and you'll have

psychotic problems for the rest of your life because you took yaba.

Yes, yes, yes.

'According to a United Nations report,

'half of all heavy yaba users will end up with yaba-induced psychosis

'with a high risk of violent behaviour.'

So there's a couple of lads over here that look OK,

they look like they understand what's going on.

This chap in the corner looks really quite disturbed.

He's talking to the wall.

And what's the most severe case you've had to deal with?

I'm so sorry to interrupt you

but just behind us now, what's this, is this typical? He's writing...

He doesn't know what he's doing?

'The problem with psychotic patients is that they

'believe their behaviour is normal.'

So, doctor, please may you tell me the age ranges in this unit?

-Eight?

-Eight of age. So sorry.

That's phenomenal. What does that do to an eight-year-old brain?

'Taking yaba at such a young age

'may prevent the brain from ever developing beyond childhood.'

And do you have any worries for the future?

I feel like I could be sat in a mental health institution

but I'm not, I'm sat in a detox hospital and the sole reason

these boys are on this ward is because they're addicted to yaba.

British people that are coming here know very, very little about yaba,

so they're coming here and they're probably likening it to an E

and potentially putting themselves at risk.

Serious risk.

'It seems to me that yaba

'is robbing Thailand of a future generation.'

Thank you.

Now, whether you agree with drugs or not,

no-one, in my opinion, deserves to be living in this kind of existence.

They're here because they tried yaba, they got addicted,

and you just pray that they come out the other end.

That lad could be like that for ever.

In detox, most of the young men were in their teens and 20s.

The doctor told me children as young as eight are becoming addicted.

I'm meeting a young boy who first took yaba when he was 12 years old.

Your body's become used to having yaba in its system

since you were 12, so you've been taking yaba nonstop for five years?

'He tells me that to support his expensive habit,

'he had no choice but to start delivering drugs.'

Was dealing alone enough?

Did you ever, honestly, have to do anything else to try and get money?

'No matter how much I tried,

'the young boy wouldn't make any eye contact.'

Listen, thanks ever so much for talking to me.

I really appreciate your time and your honesty.

Thank you. It was a real pleasure to meet you. Kob khun ka.

Kob khun ka.

Lovely to meet you, yeah?

Take care.

'I can't help but think that

'yaba has seriously damaged this young boy.'

He's 17 and you just think,

"You should be cocky and gobby and lairy and you're like a shadow

"of so many other 17-year-olds I know

"because you've been taking yaba for five years."

12! Imagine taking something that strong at 12

to the extent of ten or 20 tablets a day.

That is such a huge amount.

I can't comprehend such a small body

being able to physically cope with that amount of yaba.

This is heartbreaking.

The idea that someone's sat in these yaba labs thinking,

"You know what we need to do? We need to churn out as much

"yaba as we possibly can but also, we need to make sure

"that it's really attractive to kids.

"We need to market it to children specifically

"by making the yaba vanilla or chocolate."

It's just so wrong on so many levels

and this is what they have done.

You know, there's now 12-year-olds clucking

and addicted to yaba in Thailand

because the pills are so readily available and they want to try.

You know, as if kids don't want to try drugs enough,

they've made it even more appealing to them.

'Although the vanilla in yaba is attractive,

'it isn't one of the addictive ingredients.'

I want to find out more

about what else is going into these new strains of yaba.

The doctor at the detox hospital mentioned that

some of the yaba is now showing traces of having

things like opium and sedatives added to it.

So I'm at the narcotics lab right now

and I'm going to try and find out all I can

about what's exactly in these yaba pills.

-Hello, I'm Stacey.

-Hello, yes, I'm Sabka.

Lovely to meet you.

'Colonel Sabka is a chemist and the officer in charge.'

To get an arrest, the lab does a straightforward solution test

to prove yaba contains methamphetamine.

But they don't look for any of the new additives

I've heard are now going into these pills, like opium.

So you guys don't analyse the other ingredients.

Does anyone else in Bangkok or Thailand?

Because, do they not need to see if there's any side effects

or dangers from these things,

not just the methamphetamine and the caffeine mixed together?

Kob khun ka. Thank you.

'After speaking to the police officer, I can't see how

'they can combat drug use without knowing exactly what the drug is.'

There's no in-depth analysis,

they're not on top of the new trends that seem to be developing

and I just think that's a bit of a concern because

if you're not massively sure about what it is you're dealing with,

how can you fix a problem that seems to be so huge?

In a bid to crack down on the growing yaba problem,

the Narcotics Suppression Bureau has set up a special task force.

The unit specifically targets Thailand's new "it" crowd

by planning surprise raids on popular clubs and bars.

I want to know how effective these raids are

and tonight, I'm joining them on duty.

It's five to one in the morning,

I've just got a phone call from the police saying that they plan

to raid four or five clubs tonight

and did I want to come along and see them test for yaba?

So I jumped out of bed, hopped into the car and I'm en route now.

I've been told the police raid a club, lock all the doors

and force everyone inside to give a urine sample.

Anyone with traces of yaba is immediately arrested.

But tonight, we don't arrive at a club or shut anything down.

If the police raid is meant to be a surprise,

I'm not sure the two local news crews

that have also been invited are helping.

I was of the understanding that the police came into a club

and shut the club down so that

if anyone in there was taking yaba, they couldn't escape.

They tested everyone, you know, made everyone give urine samples.

That's how they explained it to me.

But actually, it's an open-air drinking area,

loads of police have just come marching in,

a couple of cameras have followed them.

If I was on yaba, I'd have chipped a long time ago.

'I want to speak to one of the senior officers in charge

'about their tactics.'

And, do you think given the space

that some people who possibly could have been on yaba

may have ran away the second they saw all the police come in?

Do you think the patrol that you and your men are doing is effective?

'From what the police officer said, it seems tonight's raid isn't

'just about finding people using or selling yaba, it's also

'about being seen to be protecting Thailand's tourist hot spots.'

'After a slow start, the police finally begin urine testing.'

So they've pulled over seven lads behind me now.

They'll make them give a urine sample and test for all drugs.

I mean, obviously the most common drug here is yaba,

so it'll be interesting to see if any of these

have taken it tonight.

'Although it appears these guys have been picked at random,

'if any of them test positive for yaba,

'they could face up to 45 days behind bars.'

I mean, I'm totally not an expert and I completely accept that,

but they seem to have pulled over loads of lads that seem

completely coherent and then there's other guys floating around

that seem a bit spaced out, or like they're on drugs -

like this chap to my left -

and they don't seem to be testing him, so I don't...

You are drunk or you're on drugs?

Cocktails?

-Yes.

-Yaba? Yaba?

No yaba?

-This guy, positive or negative? Negative?

-Negative.

Negative? OK.

Are you negative?

Negative, negative.

-Goodbye.

-Bye. Nice to meet you.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

See, he seems really switched on and totally with us.

'Tonight, all the drug tests turn out to be negative.'

I've personally seen them test seven people.

All the tests have come back negative.

I'm not sure whether they're taking a break

or that's them done for the night.

In just over an hour, the extensive police presence has managed

to clear the area - everyone's gone home

and all the bars are forced to close for the night.

And despite the fact there's not even a whiff of yaba,

the police raid is over.

The behaviour that the police are displaying tonight

isn't unique to Thailand, you know.

This kind of carry-on happens all over the world.

But what is unique to Thailand is this yaba epidemic

that needs to be taken seriously and it needs to be sorted.

And my personal opinion is that this...strategy...

..is so ineffective.

Not only is the use and sale of yaba a huge problem in Thailand,

yaba-related violence, theft, sexual assault,

including gang rape, is also on the increase.

Offenders end up in prison or rehab.

In just over a year, the number of people being sent to rehab

has more than trebled...

from under 200,000 to over half a million.

To help with the crisis,

the Government have called in the Armed Forces

to run military-style boot camps to try and rehabilitate offenders.

Today I'm going to spend some time at a compulsory rehab centre.

This unit in particular looks after young boys

of the age of between 12 and 18 years old,

all been arrested in connection with yaba

and it's run by the Royal Thai Air Force.

'I'm introduced to the current batch of inmates

'by Wing Commander Setyut.'

Sawatdee kaa.

ALL: Sawatdee khrab.

'It's unlike any other young offenders institution

'I've ever seen back home,

'with nearly 40 boys all sat in silence, meditating.'

The boys, once they're here, they're taught to meditate,

so, you know... really have a look at themselves

and contemplate what it is they've done

and how they've found themselves here,

so there seems to be a real sense of...stillness.

I don't know if calmness is necessarily the right word,

but they seem very...thoughtful

and it's quite quiet.

The boys, it's very strange, cos they all look quite young to me

and they look like butter wouldn't melt.

Now you've got to bear in mind they were all arrested

and found themselves in a... bad, bad situation

and are now in rehab trying to change it.

-So now it's time for lunch?

-Yes.

THEY SPEAK THAI IN UNISON

Basically, the teacher's telling the boys, you know,

you've got to remember to stay good men.

In order to be accepted by society you've got to behave a certain way,

you've got to respect every single meal that you have

and with that, you've got to eat everything off your plate.

The boys are under lock and key for almost 22 hours a day.

They're allowed out for two and a half hours

but have to take part in compulsory exercise.

They spend four months here

and are not allowed to see their families unless they behave.

I meet the youngest boy currently in rehab.

James is 14 years old

and, prior to being arrested, was thriving from a life of crime.

I want to know how he ended up here.

Who did you get the yaba from?

'James was recruited as a drug courier,

'making up to ten drops a week.'

'He was earning three times as much as the average Thai worker.'

And how much yaba? Lots of yaba or just a few pills?

But show me how big the package was.

This big? This big? This big?

I suspect that's a lot of yaba.

You can imagine how many little pills

would have been in that big pack.

And where were Mum and Dad?

And what do you reckon you'd be doing now, James,

if you weren't sat in rehab?

You're not going to use drugs any more?

You've come to this realisation at such a young age.

You're only 14. You've done so much and learnt loads, no?

Kob khun ka. Thank you so much. Thank you, James.

See you soon, yeah?

Bye.

Course I'd be made up if he got out and he was able to turn a new leaf.

No-one would be happier than me. But I've just...

..heard how readily available yaba is.

I mean, it's literally everywhere, I'm not exaggerating when I say...

..you can get it anywhere you go.

So I just worry I guess that...

..at 14...

you're not going to be able to stay as strong-willed as he believes...

..he will now... But I would love to eat me words.

I'd love, I'd love, love, love, love, love

to come to Thailand next year and hear that he's still not touched it.

The young boys are monitored for a year after leaving rehab.

According to the centre's statistics, up to 40% will reoffend

and return to using and selling yaba.

'I want to know how big a threat yaba is to British tourists.

'I tracked down a bartender

'who also deals yaba in a popular tourist area.

'We arranged to meet in one of Bangkok's side alleys

'where tuk-tuk drivers stop for their lunch.'

I'm always pushing my luck. This is the thing.

I'm going to end up banged up in one of these countries,

one of these times.

But I'm not buying the yaba, am I? I'm just asking about it.

I'm not going to...purchase the gear, just talk the gear.

Where is he?

I spend my life waiting for... numerous men all around the world.

Always waiting. Wait, wait, wait.

'When the dealer turns up, he agrees to speak to me anonymously.'

I'm Stacey, nice to meet you.

Thanks ever so much for agreeing to have a chat with me.

I really appreciate it.

Tell me first of all who you sell the yaba to.

So you sell to foreigners, to tourists, right?

And are they British tourists?

Give me a classic example of a normal transaction

between you and a British tourist.

Describe to me a typical customer.

'He tells me that he earns just over £10 a night

'working behind the bar but can make over £150 a night selling yaba.'

And lots of people I spoke to who've taken yaba talk of feeling

really angry and really violent.

Do you warn the tourists that this yaba might make you feel like that?

Or do you just sell, no questions and no conversation?

Do you just see the tourists as money-making machines for you?

Thank you very much for your time.

-I appreciate you coming to speak to me. Kob khun ka.

-Kob khun ka.

So it's out there, it's quite open.

It's not down some dark alley, and all cloak and dagger business.

It's sort of just done across the bar, in a busy bar.

I'm certain that down Khaosan Road, British tourists will be taking yaba tonight.

It happens all the time, it's growing.

The Brits are getting more and more in the loop about it the more they come here.

And it's just a scary thought, isn't it?

'With more and more tourists taking yaba out here,

'it's no surprise to me when I hear there are now

'British dealers operating in Thailand,

'selling the drug to fellow Brits.'

Some of them have been caught and banged up

in the notorious Bang Kwang Central Prison,

also known as the Bangkok Hilton.

I've arranged to speak to some of the prisoners today.

I'm hoping the Brits on the inside will be able to tell me

how far yaba has penetrated the British tourist market.

But when I get there, I run into problems.

Despite telling them I have written permission,

the Thai authorities won't let me speak to the British prisoners.

Have not...er...photo.

-Yeah.

-You understand?

I understand.

We're not allowed to film here.

They're completely adamant that I'm not getting in. It's just a point-blank "no" now.

I wanted to speak to the British people and try and understand

why they were dealing yaba and how they got caught.

None of that's materialised. I've been fobbed off massively.

I've been told loads of reasons why I can't come in,

despite having confirmation here on this bit of paper.

It's just completely ridiculous.

You know, I've even been told,

I've been warned by more than one person,

that I run the risk of never being allowed to film in Thailand

ever again because I'm stood outside here telling you this despite...

And it's all true. It's mad.

'It's my last day in Thailand and I receive some good news.'

I've just been told that there's a possibility

I might be able to get into the prison this morning.

But, hear this, I'm meant to fly to the UK today.

So I've thrown everything in a suitcase, jumped in the car.

I've been told I've got to take all my jewellery off or else

they won't let me in, so I don't want to give them any excuses.

It's all coming off.

And everything crossed...

I might get into that prison today.

Have to wait and see, eh?

But the address I'm sent to is nowhere near Bang Kwang Prison.

'I've been brought here to a remand prison.

'My understanding of remand prison is that you've been arrested but not yet sentenced.

'That's what it's like at home. I know plenty who've been in remand, it's not regular prison.'

I've just asked if I'm going to speak to somebody

who's been sentenced and they said, "Yeah, there's a British guy

"who's absolutely been sentenced for dealing yaba."

So I'm just going to wait and see.

So the guy is going to come here and I can talk to him through this?

< Yes.

-OK, this person.

-Hello.

Hello, sir. Can I ask, are you British?

-Pardon?

-Is he from Britain or Thailand?

Thailand.

Is there anyone... No, no. Excuse me.

Excuse me. No, that's fine.

We can calm down. No-one needs... I understand.

If you would prefer to not show your face, that's no problem,

-but, equally, we can't have people pushing the camera.

-Yeah.

I was of the understanding that I would be able to speak to

a British person. Are there any British people...

-There is no British.

-Thank you. That's very kind.

-That's all I needed to hear. Thank you for all your help.

-It's OK.

Thank you, sir. That's fine.

'Yet again, I'm not allowed to speak to the Brits who could tell me

'about yaba and tourists.'

Outside, the guard wants to give me some helpful advice.

-I completely agree.

-OK.

And, you know, the plan was to go to that prison that you've just

mentioned, but, for some reason,

-they won't let me in, even though they said that I could.

-I see.

-You're right.

-Sorry about that.

No, it's not your fault. No hard feelings. Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Take care, yeah?

I'm not suggesting for one second that Thailand is the only country

in the entire world with a drug problem.

We've got problems at home in England, all over the world.

The war on drugs is never-ending.

But what is unique to Thailand is yaba,

and that's what I came here to have a nose at

and try and understand and learn more about,

and they're just so afraid of showing the truth about yaba

in case it affects their tourism or it portrays Thailand in a bad light.

I do get that, I do get that, but you can't not tell things

because...they're bad.

'As I leave a country in the grips of war against this devastating drug

'called yaba, I can't help but feel the effects of Thailand's

'crazy drug epidemic is worse than I thought and far from over.'