Iranian jailed for 5 years

The Criminal Court has handed down a five-year jail sentence to an Iranian national after finding him guilty of drug possession and document falsification.

The ruling against Sayed Ramin Paknejad, allegedly a member of major migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks in the Middle East, was yesterday disclosed by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) which had spent three years seeking his extradition from Malaysia.

DSI deputy chief Songsak Raksaksakul said the court recently ruled against Paknejad, saying it found the defendant guilty of one count of heroin possession and nine counts of falsifying documents.

Paknejad was given a one-year jail term for each count totalling 10 years but the sentence was reduced by half due to his confession, said Pol Col Sonsak, also the DSI’s spokesman.

Paknejad was arrested in Chon Buri in 2012 for allegedly procuring fake passports for foreign migrants who used Thailand as a transit country to travel to the US, Australia, New Zealand and European countries, he said.

After Paknejad was granted bail by the Pattaya Provincial Court he escaped to Malaysia.

On April 26 last year, the Federal Court of Malaysia ordered his extradition.

Before his arrest the defendant posed as a businessman, fronting an illegal business in Pattaya and Chon Buri for over 10 years.