An Aussie man sentenced to two life sentences for drug offences in Thailand has been transferred to one of the planet’s most infamous prisons, for reasons his lawyer says are currently unclear.
In 2014, Jake Mastroianni, a 26-year-old DJ from Melbourne, was nabbed in Pattaya for possessing 61 ecstasy pills. After pleading not guilty, he landed that heavy punishment from the incredibly drug-averse Thai legal system.
While his legal team has been attempting to transfer him to an Australian prison to see out the rest of his sentence, Mastroianni will now be serving time at Bang Kwang prison – colloquially known as the “Bangkok Hilton.”
Mastroinni’s lawyer Nathan Feeney told Fairfax “the move was unexpected because everyone who we spoke to at the prison where he was – Klong Prem – said that he would not be moved anytime soon.”
Despite that, he confirmed he’s been in communication with various Thai and Australian authorities to increase the likelihood of Mastroianni’s transfer back, and he’ll be “drafting letters to His Majesty the King for certain reductions.”
