Nepal's ex-crown prince held in Bangkok with 12 g marijuana
Thai police arrested Nepal's former crown prince Paras Shah at a Bangkok hotel on 10 July 2014 with 12 grams of marijuana and charged him before a local court. He was released on bail within days to await trial, with police noting it was his second possession arrest.
Paras Shah, Nepal’s former crown prince, was arrested by Thai police on 10 July
2014 with 12 grams of marijuana.[1][2]Shah was 43 years old and was still in
custody when the arrest was confirmed.[1]He was arrested at Hotel Debit on
the evening of 10 July with the contraband marijuana.[1][2]Thai police informed
the Nepal embassy in Bangkok about the arrest the same day it happened.[1][2]
A hotel staff member who found the drug in his room alerted the authorities.[3]Another account described the seizure as two pouches of marijuana found on
him at the hotel.[4]Police charged Shah and presented him before a local
criminal court.[1][2]He was released from police custody on the Monday after the
arrest.[4]By 16 July he was out on bail and awaiting trial.[3]
Bangkok police described it as his second arrest for possession and said he
could face up to five years in jail.[3]Nepal’s embassy in Bangkok said it was
monitoring the situation but had no further comment.[3]
Thai police did not say where Shah was being held.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
1
Charged
1
Cannabis
12 g
Agency type
Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis
Activity
Smuggling
Setting
Prison
Case stage
Under investigation
Sources
NDTVndtv.comNepal's Ex-Crown Prince Arrested in Thailand with Marijuana
NDTV reports 12 gm while Anadolu Agency reports over 10 grams; this report uses the specific 12-gram figure.
Hindustan Times says the hotel arrest happened on Friday while the embassy-police account gives the evening of 10 July 2014, which this report uses as the incident date.
Custody accounts evolved quickly: still in custody when confirmed 15 July, released the preceding Monday, and out on bail awaiting trial by 16 July; no later court outcome was reported.
The precise district location of Hotel Debit within Bangkok was not published, so Bangkok city centre coordinates are used.
No cannabis value, laboratory weight, or trial outcome was published.
An earlier November 2012 Phuket marijuana arrest and a separate property-damage arrest are mentioned only as background and are left out as separate events.
At least eleven young French nationals have been held in Thailand on cannabis trafficking accusations since June 2026, and two more are detained in Hong Kong after arriving from Thailand with cannabis in their suitcases. French prosecutors opened an investigation into the "plan Thaïlande" recruitment of young people on social media with free holidays in exchange for carrying a suitcase.
Phuket customs arrested two Swiss and two French travellers on 27 July 2026 with more than 33.6 kg of cannabis in their luggage. The Swiss pair said Snapchat recruiters promised a paid holiday and 8,000 francs to bring back a suitcase they believed held iPhones.
Customs officers detained 30-year-old Russian Sergei Chalabari at Phuket airport on 8 July 2026 with 17.6 kg of cannabis flowers and resin in two suitcases bound for Kazakhstan. He admitted the luggage was his, was charged with attempted export without customs clearance and handed to Sakhu police.
Customs officers arrested 21-year-old Belgian tourist Salma E.K. at Phuket airport on 7 July 2026 with about 31.7 kg of cannabis in two suitcases bound for Paris. She admitted the luggage was hers and was handed to Sakhu police charged with attempted unlawful export, facing up to 10 years in prison.
