Coffeeshop pioneer Van Laarhoven sentenced to 103 years in Thailand
Johan van Laarhoven is sentenced to 103 years in Thai prison, with a minimum of 20 years. His wife, Mingkwan Kaen-in, was sentenced to 68 years years for complicity, with a minimum of 12 years.
Mr Laarhoven will appeal the verdict, according to his attorney, Tim Vis. “This is terrible news,” he was quoted as saying. “Laarhoven was convicted based on the dubious actions of the Dutch public prosecutor and a judge who was not sufficiently able to assess Dutch drug-tolerance policies.”
The reason for their imprisonment is an investigation initiated by the Dutch government, who is accusing Van Laarhoven of money laundering.
Van Laarhoven having retired to Thailand, the public prosecutor triggered the Thai government to investigate Johan van Laarhoven too, which led to his and his wife’s imprisonment.
Whereas Dutch coffeeshops are tolerated to sell cannabis under certain circumstances, purchasing their stock remains illegal, therefore forcing coffeeshops to operate in a gray area.
So is Van Laarhoven really to blame?
Because the Thai authorities have no idea about the situation in The Netherlands and the Dutch way of dealing with cannabis was not explained by the Dutch attorney general, a Thai delegation was invited over to Holland to have a good look at the local approach.
Check out this update from Cannabis News Network, including a report on the Thai delegation visiting coffeeshops and the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum in Amsterdam.
Cannabis News Network is a news journal which publishes only cannabis-related news.
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