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WITH drugs flowing so easily on its notorious strip that lines of cocaine are offered free with drinks at bars, Tenerife’s dark criminal underbelly simmers close to the surface…
A BRIT tourist who was drugged and robbed by three women in a “Goodnight Cinderella” scam has told how he “took one, two sips and then nothing.”
Horrifying footage showed the holidaymaker collapsing unconscious on R…
A BRIT woman has pleaded for the freedom of her father-in-law who has been denied bail after allegedly attempting to drown her.
Mark Gibbon, 62, has been accused of attempting to…
INCEST monster Josef Fritzl, who held his daughter in a dungeon for 24 years, could soon be freed if his latest bid for release is successful.
His lawyer is arguing the 90-year-old no longer poses a danger to the public because he is suffe…
A PREGNANT woman’s body has been found stuffed inside a plastic bin on the side of the road as two men have been arrested.
Brittany Fuhr-Storms, 28, was discovered inside the sealed crate along Fort Anthony Road, Ohio after cops wer…
A BRITISH backpacker is facing 20 years behind bars in Australia after pleading guilty to killing a dad-of-two when she ploughed into him on an e-scooter.
Alicia Kemp, 25, smashed into the back of 51-year-old Thanh Phan and left him with f…
THIS is the astonishing moment a woman embraces her husband’s hit-and-run killer in court and tells him he is forgiven.
Joseph Tillman, 24, was sentenced to 20 years behind bars after killing Charles Johnson in a hit-and-run.
Regina Johnson embraced her husband’s killer, Joseph Tillman, in court[/caption]
Tillman reportedly whispered ‘I am so sorry’ in her ear[/caption]
Johnson was riding his bike on Towne Lake Parkway, Georgia at around 3:30pm on March 3 last year when he was fatally struck by a car.
Charles – better known as Chuck – was rushed to hospital where he was treated for life-threatening injuries but tragically died a week later.
Tillman later pleaded guilty to charges including homicide by vehicle, drinking under the influence, and reckless driving.
Incredible footage taken in court shows the moment the 24-year-old breaks down in tears as the victim’s wife, Regina Johnson, turns to embrace him.
The two share a long hug, prompting tears among members of the courtroom, as Regina tell the young lad she forgives him.
Tillman then whispered to Regina: “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” WSB-TV 2 reports.
Watching on in disbelief, Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Tony Baker said: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the wife of a victim hug a defendant where they killed somebody.”
In an interview after the trial, Regina revealed she reached for her husband’s killer because “God told her he needed a mom hug”.
She said: “Joey needs healing of things in his past, as we all do. And that is our heart and prayer.”
The 24-year-old had been drinking at a sports bar and had bought whippets of Galaxy Gas – a dangerous nitrous oxide drug – before getting behind the wheel and passing out.
After hitting Johnson, Tillman evaded the scene and another driver, who was also present at the time, was initially charged with the hit-and-run.
Johnson has been sentenced to two decades in prison where will have to complete a two year inpatient rehab program, which could lead to suspended prison time.
Speaking in court, Tillman said: ‘I’ve committed to the long road of making amends. I’ve entered rehab, embraced sobriety, began the hard, humbling work of healing. I know I do not deserve peace when I’ve caused so much pain.’
While his defense lawyer, Paul Ghanouni, added: ‘He’s changed his way of life and seems like he’s on a trajectory to continue to move forward with his life in a positive way.’
Tributes have since poured in for Chuck who had a “joy for life” and could always be seen with a wide smile on his face.
One grieving resident said: “He always had a smile, a joy for life, and always a big heart.
“I spent many hours with him and his family, always feeling welcome. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.”
While another added: “So sorry for Chuck to have had been involved in such a tragic accident. Our sympathy to the family and may Chuck rest in peace.”
A third, who remembered Chuck for his generosity, said: “Chuck was a friend whose love of life, Jesus, family, theological discussions with me in various places in the world, and and gentle honesty has immeasurably enriched my life.”
The 78-year-old was a valued member of his community – serving in various ministries and helping in the local women’s shelter.
He was married to Regina for 50 years and leaves behind his two adored sons and daughter, and five cherished granddaughters.
Joseph Tillman was sentenced to 20 years for killing Chuck[/caption]
Footage shows the 24-year-old breaking down in tears[/caption]
In an interview Regina said she felt Joseph needed a ‘mom hug’[/caption]
A PARENTING influencer’s husband was watching a basketball game he allegedly bet $25 on when his son tragically drowned in the family’s pool, cops said.
TikTok star E…
A BRIT dad accused of trying to drown his daughter-in-law – who is also claimed to be his girlfriend – will be formally charged with attempted murder in the US.
Mark Gibbon, 62, was arrested at the luxury Solterra Resort in Florida last Sunday after allegedly forcing 33-year-old Jasmine Wyld’s head underwater “multiple times” in a furious row over his will.
Mark Gibbon, 62, will be charged with the attempted murder of his daughter-in-law tomorrow[/caption]
Hairdresser Jasmine Wyld, 33, was saved by her daughter and two neighbours after Gibbon allegedly forced her head underwater[/caption]
Gibbon and Wyld have been pictured together on several occasions since their separations from their partners[/caption]
The wealthy lighting engineer – who has worked with Mick Jagger, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and the late Queen – is expected to apply for bail but may be refused it, as US prosecutors reportedly see him as a “flight risk”.
Gibbon is claimed to have struck a relationship with Ms Wyld – who was once married to his son Alex.
The Brit dad, of Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, has already appeared in court on two battery charges, each carrying $1,000 bail.
But a source said his attempted murder hearing is “a different level of seriousness” as he is expected to be charged tomorrow.
The insider told Mail on Sunday: “He could technically be eligible for bail but because of his wealth and the fact he is a British citizen a judge may consider him too high a flight risk.
“If bail were to be considered then he would have to surrender his passport and have to agree to wear a monitoring device.”
Officials at Polk County Prison refused to comment on his detention conditions for safety reasons, but he is expected to appear before the judge in orange prison overalls.
“He will be taken from his cell and transported to court in shackles and handcuffs but they may be removed inside the courtroom at the discretion of the judge,” the insider added.
Wyld’s nine-year-old daughter is said to have leapt into the pool to try to “save” her mother.
Police reports claim Gibbon’s alleged attack left her with scratches and bruising.
Both Gibbon and Wyld told police they are not romantically involved, although detectives are reportedly probing claims they have been lovers for years.
Neighbours in Beaconsfield described Wyld as Gibbon’s “girlfriend” and said she was often seen at his £800,000 semi-detached home.
One neighbour told The Sun: “Everybody is shocked by this.”
Another, who said she was Wyld’s friend, recalled: “Jasmine used to stay here a lot with the children. But I don’t want to say much more because she is a friend of mine.”
Family insiders claim tensions erupted years ago when Gibbon’s son Alex allegedly found Wyld in his father’s bed.
“About four years ago there was a big fall-out,” one source the Daily Mail.
“Alex went up the stairs and found Jasmine in his father’s bed. They had a massive row. It’s torn the family apart… there’s been so much bad blood between Alex and his dad.”
Alex, 32, and Wyld separated in 2021 but share two young children.
The feud deepened when Alex was jailed for driving an £80,000 Porsche Cayenne into his father during a public row.
He was released six months ago, and father and son no longer speak.
Gibbon, who also runs hairdressing business Sage Hairdressing, allegedly pushed Wyld underwater during the Florida row after telling her she was not the main beneficiary of his will.
He reportedly admitted pushing her but denied trying to kill her, claiming they had both been drinking, she slapped him, and the situation escalated.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said: “We expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our life-long residents to do the same.
“Because Mr Gibbon couldn’t control his anger he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated.”
If convicted on all charges, Gibbon could face up to 20 years in jail.
Wyld was reportedly left with a scratch on her chest after getting into the heated row[/caption]
Detectives are reportedly probing claims they have been lovers for years, although both deny being romantically involved[/caption]
Wyld and Gibbon’s son Alex share two children together[/caption]
BEHIND white sand beaches on a paradise island, tourists unwittingly rub shoulders with brutal drug gangs and on-the-run fugitives.
The stunning destination has proven the perfect smokescreen for international criminals to hide in plain sight – and narc kingpins to “prey” on unsuspecting holidaymakers.
The island attracts millions of tourists each year, but they don’t all have innocent intentions[/caption]
Kieren Thornton and Ashton Saunders were detained in two separate raids on Koh Samui in southern Thailand on May 24[/caption]
Koh Samui provides a year-round magnet for sunseeking Brit backpackers and other travellers[/caption]
With fugitives merrily running businesses, a booming international drugs trade and a seedy late-night industry, Thailand’s Koh Samui harbours dark secrets.
After repeated crackdowns, police have recently made a string of high-profile arrests – but the island, where the third season of the White Lotus was filmed, keeps attracting shady characters.
In May this year, wanted Brits Ashton Saunders and Kieren Thornton were nabbed on the island after more than a decade on the run.
Saunders, 37, was convicted in 2015 of swindling vulnerable British businesses by tricking them into paying for services that didn’t exist.
But before being sentenced, he fled to Thailand under a false name – Ben Ashton – and enjoyed a life of luxury among crowds of tourists on Koh Samui.
He posed as a hospitality tycoon and brazenly operated at least seven businesses in the popular Chaweng Beach area – raking in profits rather than serving time.
It’s alleged that Saunders illegally used Thai nominees to front his businesses and conceal the fact that he was running them himself, and the investigation into his trading continues.
Thornton, meanwhile, was wanted for an armed robbery in the UK but fled ahead of a warrant for his arrest.
He lived a comfortable life in a rented house with his Ukrainian girlfriend – soaking up the rays on the other side of the world while victims were left waiting for justice.
As cops moved in, the couple fled on a motorbike – but were caught at a local pier in the Bo Phut area on the north-east of the island.
All seven of Saunders’ businesses – six bars and one hotel – in the busy Chaweng Beach area were raided, and all involved may face prosecution if the set-up is found to have been illegal.
One was Sin by Night club – a strip club offering punters racy dances with scantily clad Thai girls and promising “an evening of pure delight”.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Arun Musikim, Chief Inspector of the Surat Thani Provincial Police, responsible for Koh Samui, told The Sun there has “been a very big increase in foreign fugitives coming to hide” on the island.
He added: “It is a tropical island, it is comfortable and there is luxury, but it is still not developed.
“Fugitives might think they can stay here without being detected. These criminals are wanted for a range of crimes.
“In their countries, the laws might be different — they may be allowed to leave the country even when suspected of wrongdoing.
“So once they realise they’re in trouble, they flee. Our cooperation is to prevent these foreigners from fleeing to other countries.”
Saunders and Thornton, reportedly cousins from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, were said to have been hiding in the country for more than 10 years to escape jail in the UK[/caption]
Meanwhile, Thai cops arrested a British man in April suspected of masterminding a major cannabis smuggling operation between Koh Samui and London.
And in recent weeks, police believe they have uncovered an international cocaine smuggling cartel which uses the island as its HQ.
Police said most of the smuggling operations from the island used tourists recruited with free holidays and cash.
Adel Mohammed allegedly pulled the strings behind a network of Brits collecting weed from huge farms in Koh Samui and delivering their stash back to the UK.
He was arrested in Bangkok in April after 13 of his alleged footsoldiers were caught – 11 of whom were Brits.
It is a tropical island, it is comfortable and there is luxury, but it is still not developed. Fugitives might think they can stay here without being detected
Arun Musikim
This was just weeks before Bella Culley, 19, was arrested in Georgia after allegedly bundling a large cannabis stash out of the Kingdom – and the drugs flow hit the headlines.
The teen claimed she had been “forced under torture” by a Brit drug gang in Thailand to carry the haul through the airport, heading for Tbilisi.
A crime source told The Sun: “Evidence has already emerged that a major mule recruitment drive is underway.
“Young people from the UK are being targeted with the aim of reaching the UK after stopping off at European destinations en route to cover their tracks.”
This has led to fears that other young British tourists could be drawn in by drug gangs and duped into becoming mules.
Brit teen Bella Culley was arrested in Georgia after allegedly smuggling a stash of cannabis out of Thailand[/caption]
The criminal underbelly festers beneath the luxurious beach lifestyle seen in The White Lotus series[/caption]
Adel Mohammed, suspected ringleader of a cannabis smuggling gang, was arrested in Bangkok after fleeing Koh Samui[/caption]
But the spring arrests did not mark the end of trouble on the island – where foreign fugitives and gangs have run rampant for years.
On July 19, customs officers at Samui International Airport intercepted two Brazilians – allegedly with almost 7 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside suitcases.
The two men, Diego dos Santos Silva, 35, and Fernanda Gabriele Lorenco de Andrade, 25, reportedly confessed they had been recruited with the promise of an all-expenses paid trip to Thailand, plus thousands in cash.
Two weeks later, on August 1, a Nigerian man was arrested after a dramatic high-speed chase, allegedly in possession of cocaine, and police suspect a link with the Brazilians’ cases.
Cops believe Koh Samui could be the hub of an international drug smuggling cartel, according to local media.
Regional police chief Pol Lt Gen Surapol Thanomjit urged tourists against being lured in by tempting promises from smuggling gangs.
He said: “Don’t carry anything for anyone, no matter how friendly they seem.
“Smugglers prey on tourists. But our officers are trained and alert.
“You will be caught.”
Before Saunders and Thornton were arrested, other high-profile international fugitives have been snared on Koh Samui.
In 2017, a notorious convicted British drug kingpin called Jonathan Moorby, dubbed “Mr Big”, was arrested while staying on the island.
He had been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply more than £1million of cocaine and amphetamines.
Moorby is now seeing out a 29-year prison sentence in HMP Frankland in County Durham, nicknamed Monster Mansion.
A 60-year-old Swedish suspected drug pusher, Reino Pentti Olavi Martin, was also arrested in 2023.
Jonathon ‘Mr Big’ Moorby, 54, fled the UK while awaiting trial in June 2014 and was later arrested on Koh Samui[/caption]
Thai police pose for a group photo with Moorby after arresting him[/caption]
Swedish fugitive Reino Pentti Olavi Martin, 60, was arrested on Koh Samui in 2023[/caption]
And the founder of fraudulent cryptocurrency OneCoin, Sebastian Greenwood, was found on the island in 2018.
An immigration officer said: “This isn’t just a visa issue. It’s a full-scale criminal investigation involving business law and immigration fraud.”
A Thai police source told the Thai Examiner at the time: “Tourist zones like Chaweng are attractive for people trying to disappear.
“But eventually, the law catches up.”
Thai police describe these fugitives as “stealth” foreigners – people who live under the radar and exploit loopholes to run businesses.
A nationwide crackdown on these shady characters began in the cities of Pattaya and Phuket, and has now been extended to Samui.
Launched in October 2023, more than 600 arrests had been made across the country within six months.
A senior immigration official said: “Thailand welcomes lawful foreign investment and tourism, but those who come here to hide, commit fraud, or exploit the system will be found and removed.”
More than three million tourists visit Koh Samui each year[/caption]
Travellers are drawn to both Koh Samui’s beaches and bustling towns[/caption]
In 2017, police received a complaint about an Israeli gang running riot on the island, extorting money from foreign business owners with guns and demanding protection fees.
The same year, the police and army launched a crackdown against foreign gangs – and found that one network was using an illegal medical clinic as its secret HQ.
The next year, two Israeli men rammed their car into a motorcycle ridden by their rival and stabbed him to death, after a chance encounter during his holiday to the island.
Since cannabis was decriminalised in Thailand in 2022, there has been an explosion in the quantities smuggled out of the country by post and drug mules.
Koh Samui became a key producer, with industrial-scale cannabis farms springing up, and vast amounts passing through the island’s airport.
Supplying the trade are numerous dense cannabis farms that have sprung up on Koh Samui – crammed with high-grade plants – some of which lie just minutes’ walk from the White Lotus’ Four Seasons Resort.
The product is transported to countries around the world, but London is one of the main destinations, usually via Singapore.
The award-winning White Lotus series was filmed on Koh Samui[/caption]
The masterminds can reportedly enjoy profits of up to 3,000 per cent.
One sting at Koh Samui Airport found a group attempting to smuggle more than 600kg of marijuana packed into suitcases, according to Thai authorities.
The mules were reportedly promised a free holiday and a £2,000 bonus if they successfully smuggled their stash.
UK and Thai authorities collaborated to launch Operation Chaophraya, and National Crime Agency detectives and Home Office officials were dispatched over there.
Around 50 Brits were arrested and charged across the operation, with a dozen of them linked to Koh Samui.
The party crowd provides an eager market for alcohol and drugs[/caption]
Police Lieutenant Colonel Arun Musikim said: “Initially most incidents happened at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.
“But as arrests increased, the security tightened inspections, making it harder for smugglers to operate.
“So they began looking for smaller airports with international flights, which is why they started using Koh Samui, as it operates international flights while still being a very small airport.”
Cannabis is no longer illegal in Thailand, but it is a crime to smuggle the drug in or out of the country.
The provincial police Chief Inspector vowed that his officers are cracking down on crime perpetrated by foreigners.
He said: “Across Koh Samui, police are strict and expand investigations whenever foreign wrongdoing is discovered.
“We investigate everything and exchange information among agencies. We’re doing everything we can to close off every possible path for wrongdoers.
“Our approach is strict and uncompromising, so that foreign nationals who break the law will be stopped through every possible legal means.
“We won’t let them get away.”
A SLEW of drug mule arrests involving Brits have emerged in the last few months.
In April and May, two Brit women were arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling.
Bella Culley was the first after she allegedly tried to smuggle a suitcase of weed into Georgia.
Meanwhile, former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee was also caught allegedly trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2million into Sri Lanka.
Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl.
If found guilty, South Londoner Charlotte could face a 25-year sentence.
As a young mum was detained in Germany for allegedly smuggling cannabis in her bags on a flight from Thailand – in yet another shocking case.
Glamorous Cameron Bradford, 21, from Knebworth, Herts, was detained at Munich Airport on April 21 as she tried to collect her luggage.
It comes as a Brit couple claiming to be tourists from Thailand have been busted with more than 33kg of cannabis in their suitcases at a Spanish airport.
The pair were picked out by suspicious cops at Valencia Airport after displaying a “nervous and evasive attitude” and are now behind bars on drug trafficking charges.
Experts told The Sun how wannabe Brit Insta stars are being lured by cruel gangs into carting drugs across the world.
Then last month, a six-year-old British boy was arrested in Mauritius suspected of smuggling part of a £1.6million dope haul stuffed inside his wheelie case.
The lad was picked up by customs officials along with his mum and five other Brits as they arrived on the tropical island.
Authorities branded the use of a child in the audacious drug smuggling plot as “inhumane”.