A British tourist facing a possible death penalty sentence in Thailand for suspected drug smuggling is a former pupil of the £70,000-a-year public school attended by The Duchess of York, we can reveal.
George Wilson, 23, who was allegedly caught smuggling nine kilograms of methamphetamine, is from the family of a multimillionaire whose wealth came from his association with stadium filling rock band, Iron Maiden.
Wilson, who was yesterday paraded by Thai police alongside parcels of the drug also known as crystal meth, is understood to have grown up in luxury in Marlow in Berkshire.
He attended Hurst Lodge School in Surrey, one of the most prestigious private schools in the country charging up to £22,000 per term.
It counts Sarah Ferguson, TV presenter Emma Forbes and actors Juliet Stephenson and Belinda Stewart-Wilson among former pupils.
A family friend told the Mail: ‘It’s astonishing that someone from such a well-heeled background could find himself caught up in this – no one could believe it when we saw the reports of George’s arrest.’
George’s family wealth is understood to stem from a hugely successful relative in the music industry who helped raise him from a young age.
They are linked to Iron Maiden who won 180 platinum and gold disc awards from some 50m global album sales.
The band also headlined festivals including the famous metal event at Castle Donnington.
As well as Iron Maiden the relative has also been involved with acts such as Elton John, James Blunt, Kelly Osbourne and Kenny Rogers. Their business was valued in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
The family has various property and business interests in the Thames Valley and he lives in a highly desirable home close to the Thames.
Another family friend said: ‘George is a very well brought up and mild-mannered young man. You would never expect him to be in a situation like this.
‘As far as I know he doesn’t even drink, let alone have any involvement in drugs.’
The relative is understood to have learnt news of Wilson’s arrest while on a cruise around the world. Wilson’s father is also believed to be on holiday – in Malta.
Wilson, who had been in Thailand for two weeks, is accused of having received 9.15kg of methamphetamine from another Briton at a hotel in the red-light area of Bangkok on Monday evening.
But Vice squad officers are said to have earlier been tipped off about the movements of a drugs gang and to have swooped on the hotel room at Le Fenix on Sukhumvit Soi 11 and arrested George.
In a video of the arrest released to the media, George could be heard telling police he had been in Thailand for ‘two weeks’. When asked what is in the bag, he says ‘I don’t know’.
Officers then opened the case and looked under a pair of flip-flops and a white towel to uncover 10 green foil bags of Chinese tea concealing methamphetamine.
‘I don’t know what it is,’ George says again.
Officers opened the packages to reveal the drugs on camera before performing a quick chemical test to prove it is methamphetamine.
George is now being held in custody and will appear in court again later today.
Lieutenant Colonel Noppha Thongbo, from the Lumpini district station, said: ‘The suspect’s full name is George Henry Allaway Wilson, born on 29 July, 2002, from High Wycombe.
‘He was arrested on September 29 at 6pm. He is currently in police custody and will be taken to the Bangkok South Criminal Court tomorrow for detention in prison.’
According to Thai police, Wilson was due to carry the narcotics through Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport and onto the destination country, where another gang member was due to meet him.
But officers said they had been tracking the suspects for a number of days following intelligence gathered from their movements.
They checked CCTV footage at the hotel and confirmed that the packages had been delivered. An arrest warrant was then obtained from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) to search the hotel room.
Police allegedly found 9,152.3 grams of crystal methamphetamine, known locally as ‘Ice’, packaged in foil bags used for tea.
Officers said the meth is suspected to have been produced at drug labs in civil-war ravaged Myanmar before arriving in neighbouring Thailand – a notorious transit hub for illegal activities.
Colonel Siranawitcha Intorn, Superintendent of the Crime Suppression Division, Metropolitan Police Bureau Division 5, said: ‘George Wilson has been charged with distributing Category 1 narcotics, specifically methamphetamine or ice, with intent to sell in violation of the law, which constitutes a commercial act that contributes to the spread of the drug among the public.
‘We believe he was part of a cross-border drug smuggling network, which is very serious. The amount of drugs seized was also very large. The highest levels of the Royal Thai Police have coordinated to make the arrest.’
Under Thai law, Category 1 narcotics includes heroin, methamphetamine, and other synthetic drugs
Importing or exporting the substances carries a maximum punishment of the death penalty – though rarely used – followed by life in prison. Mitigating factors may help the sentence to be reduced to no less than 10 to 20 years.
Lieutenant Colonel Pongtanin Bamrungsuksawat, the Deputy Chief of the Detective Division, Metropolitan Police Division 5, said he acted as an interpreter during the arrest.
He said: ‘I spoke English with the suspect. He confirmed that the items were his. The charges were explained to him along with his rights and he was handcuffed and taken.’
