Avocat spécialisé dans les affaires de drogue en Thaïlande : Arrestation, caution et représentation juridique

Révisé par ThaiLawOnline, un cabinet d'avocats thaïlandais agréé exerçant en Thaïlande depuis 2006. Avocate thaïlandaise en charge du dossier : Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., licence du barreau thaïlandais 3149/2556.

Dernière mise à jour : 5 septembre 2026

Thailand’s drug laws are notoriously strict, one wrong move could mean years in prison or worse. As an expat, understanding them isn’t optional; it’s essential. La possession d'un seul comprimé peut vous envoyer en prison, tandis que le trafic à grande échelle reste passible de la peine de mort.. Recent reforms have adjusted limits and added rehabilitation options. The main point is clear. Selling or using illegal drugs is treated as a serious threat to national security. It is important to understand the drug laws in Thailand if you live in or visit the country. If you are Si vous êtes étranger et avez été arrêté en Thaïlande, cliquez sur ce guide.

Pour savoir comment une affaire de drogue s'inscrit dans le processus global, consultez notre aperçu de droit pénal en Thaïlande.

Voici un guide détaillé à l'intention des expatriés et des résidents de longue durée. Il explique le fonctionnement de la loi et les sanctions encourues. Il aborde également les moyens de défense reconnus et l'importance de faire appel à un avocat spécialisé en droit des stupéfiants à Bangkok en cas d'arrestation.

Ce guide sur la législation relative aux stupéfiants en Thaïlande vous aidera à vous y retrouver dans ce système juridique complexe. Accusé(e) ? Contactez-nous pour bénéficier de l’assistance d’un avocat spécialisé dans les affaires de stupéfiants à Bangkok.

1. Comprendre la législation sur les drogues en Thaïlande

Le régime thaïlandais de lutte contre les stupéfiants repose sur trois piliers : l'usage personnel, le trafic et la possession en vertu de la loi thaïlandaise.

1. The Narcotics Act B.E. 2522 (1979) and the Psychotropic Substances Act B.E. 2559 (2016) were repealed, along with nineteen other instruments, by section 4 of the Act Promulgating the Narcotics Code. Both subjects now sit in the single Code des stupéfiants, the “Code des stupéfiants BE 2564 (2021)”. The Act was published on 8 November 2021 and took effect the following day; the Code annexed to it took effect thirty days later, on 9 December 2021.
2. Five categories of narcotic under section 29, from Category I down to Category V, and a separate scheme of four categories of psychotropic substance under section 30. The Code gives examples only: which named substance sits in which category, and any move between categories, is fixed by notification of the Minister of Public Health, not by the Code.
3. Des infractions parallèles sont prévues pour la possession, l'usage, la fabrication, l'importation/exportation et le trafic de stupéfiants en Thaïlande, chacune entraînant des peines fortement progressives, y compris des années d'emprisonnement.

Principales mises à jour 2024-25

• The quantity of methamphetamine presumed to be held for personal consumption was cut from five dosage units to one, by Ministerial Regulation (No. 2) B.E. 2567 of 17 June 2024. One tablet is inside that presumption, not outside it; carrying more simply removes the presumption, and the prosecution must then prove what the drug was for.
• Proposition du Cabinet de réinscription cannabis récréatif Considéré comme un stupéfiant, sa vente est désormais limitée aux personnes munies d'une ordonnance médicale.
• De nouvelles tranches de peines permettent aux juges de réduire les durées d'emprisonnement. Cela est possible si l'infraction est “ grave ” mais non “ aggravée ” au sens du Code de 2021.

2. Pénalités par catégorie relatif aux lois sur les drogues en Thaïlande

Category and Code sections	Producing, importing, exporting, disposing of or possessing it, basic penalty	Where the act is for trade or is otherwise aggravated	Notes
I, severe narcotics. Section 29(1) names heroin; methamphetamine and MDMA are placed here by notification, not by the Code. Offence s.90, penalty s.145	Imprisonment not exceeding 15 years ET a fine not exceeding 1,500,000 THB	2 to 20 years and a fine of 200,000 to 2,000,000 THB. Where the offender is a chief, a person with authority to give orders or a person with managing authority in a criminal network, or where the act affects the security of the State or the safety of the general public: 5 years to life imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 5,000,000 THB, or death	Holding a Category I drug for your own consumption is a separate and far lighter offence. See the paragraph below the table
II, general narcotics. Section 29(2) names morphine, cocaine, codeine and medicinal opium. IV, chemicals used to produce a Category I or II narcotic, s.29(4) naming acetic anhydride. Offence s.91, penalty s.146	Imprisonment not exceeding 10 years and a fine not exceeding 1,000,000 THB	1 to 15 years and a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 THB, for Category II only. Section 146 gives Category IV no aggravated tier at all	Categories II and IV share one offence provision and one basic penalty. Category IV is not treated more lightly than Category II at the basic level
III, preparations containing a Category II narcotic, e.g. codeine mixtures. Offence s.92, penalty s.147	Imprisonment not exceeding 3 years and a fine not exceeding 300,000 THB	None. Section 147 has no aggravated tier	Section 92 does not prohibit possession. It reaches producing, importing, exporting and disposing only, so simply holding a Category III preparation is not an offence under this head
V, narcotics not falling in Categories I to IV, s.29(5) naming the opium plant. Offence s.93, penalty s.148	Imprisonment not exceeding 5 years and a fine not exceeding 500,000 THB	1 to 15 years and a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 THB	Cannabis is no longer in this category: it was removed by Ministry of Public Health notification of 9 June 2022 made under section 29 paragraph two. See Le cannabis est-il légal en Thaïlande ?

*Read the table with four things in mind, all of them from the Code itself. First, the fine is cumulative, not alternative. Sections 145 to 148 each read “imprisonment … ET a fine”, so a court sentencing under one of them imposes both. Second, the aggravating limbs are the same six in sections 145, 146 and 148: the act is done for trade; it causes the drug to spread among the public; the drug is disposed of to a person not over eighteen; it is disposed of in an educational institution, a place of religious veneration or a government place; force or the threat of force is used; or the offender is armed or uses a weapon. Only section 145 adds the third tier shown above. Third, the Code grades by conduct and by the offender’s role, not by weight. There is no quantity threshold anywhere in sections 145 to 148, and quantity matters as evidence of what the drug was for rather than as a sentencing band. Fourth, section 165 directs the court, in these cases, to weigh helping the defendant stop using narcotics through treatment above punishing them, and to sentence each defendant individually even where they offended together.

Two lighter offences sit outside the table, and they are the ones most expats actually face. Consuming a Category I, II or V narcotic, or a Category I or II psychotropic substance, breaches section 104 and is punishable under section 162 by imprisonment not exceeding one year, ou a bien not exceeding 20,000 THB, ou both. Possessing one for your own consumption breaches section 107 and is punishable under section 164 by imprisonment not exceeding two years, ou a fine not exceeding 40,000 THB, ou both. Section 107 paragraph two makes a quantity below the amount fixed by ministerial regulation presumed to be held for consumption. In these two provisions the fine is an alternative to prison, which is the opposite of sections 145 to 148.

Psychotropic substances are a separate scheme with four categories, not five. Section 30 divides them by medical use and abuse potential, and section 94 prohibits producing, importing, exporting, disposing of, possessing or transiting them without a licence. Section 149 sets the penalties: Category 1, imprisonment not exceeding 10 years and a fine not exceeding 1,000,000 THB; Category 2, not exceeding 7 years and 700,000 THB; Categories 3 and 4, not exceeding 5 years and 500,000 THB. For Categories 1 and 2 the same six aggravating limbs raise it to 1 to 15 years and 100,000 to 1,500,000 THB.

3. Que se passe-t-il réellement après une arrestation ?

3.1 Phase policière (0-48 h)

• La police peut perquisitionner sans mandat si elle invoque des circonstances exceptionnelles ; contestez rapidement les perquisitions illégales.
• La culture des aveux est très présente ; restez poli mais exercez votre droit au silence jusqu'à l'arrivée de votre avocat.
• Caution for minor drug offences can be paid at the station. Serious drug charges need a Tribunal pénal Une audition et une caution élevée.

3.2 Enquête et détention provisoire (Jour 3, Jour 84)

• Les juges peuvent prolonger la détention par tranches de 12 jours jusqu'à 84 jours avant que les procureurs ne déposent des accusations.
• Pendant ce temps, votre équipe de défense devrait examiner les preuves, effectuer des analyses médico-légales et interroger les témoins. Elle devrait déjà être en train de mettre à l'épreuve les éléments de preuve de l'accusation.

3.3 Procès et condamnation

• Pas de système de jury ; des collèges de juges professionnels statuent sur les faits et le droit.
• Pour les accusations passibles de ≥5 ans, les juges doivent exiger preuve corroborante même après avoir plaidé coupable.
• Les circonstances atténuantes lors de la détermination de la peine comprennent : la coopération, la première infraction, la toxicomanie avérée, le piège, la contrainte, la perquisition irrégulière ou la violation des procédures légales.
• Les recours doivent être déposés dans un délai de 30 jours ; de nouveaux éléments de preuve sont parfois admissibles en appel.

4. Défenses communes et stratégies d'atténuation

1. Absence de connaissances/possession non prouvée, Utile lorsque des drogues en Thaïlande sont trouvées dans un logement partagé ou dans des véhicules.
2. Piège ou livraison contrôlée qui a mal tourné, De plus en plus pertinent avec les opérations d'infiltration en ligne.
3. Duress / Necessity (Penal Code §67), Fréquent dans les scénarios de “ passeurs de drogue ” impliquant de l'opium.
4. Violations de procédure, Unlawful search, unsigned inventory, absence of translator during interrogation.
5. Dépendance et réadaptation, En vertu du Code de 2021, les petits consommateurs peuvent demander un traitement obligatoire au lieu d'une peine de prison.
6. Négociation de plaidoyer avec la police , les procureurs thaïlandais ne disposent pas du pouvoir de négociation de peine de style américain. Les discussions sur la réduction des charges ont lieu pendant la phase d'enquête policière.

5. Risques particuliers pour les étrangers

• Blacklists & Dépassement de la durée de séjour autorisée, Any drug conviction triggers expulsion and up to a lifetime re-entry ban.
• Transferts de prisonniers, Le transfèrement vers le pays d'origine n'est possible qu'après avoir purgé un tiers (ou quatre ans) de la peine et acquitté toutes les amendes.
• Extradition, la Thaïlande extradera des étrangers pour trafic de drogue en vertu de traités bilatéraux, mais ne remettra pas de ressortissants thaïlandais.
• Saisie d'actifs, le Code des stupéfiants impose la saisie agressive des voitures, des appartements en copropriété et des cryptomonnaies soupçonnés d'être des produits de la drogue.
• Affaires passibles de la peine de mort, Foreign nationals have been condemned. The Malaysian national Ong Gim Wah was sentenced to death on 4 March 2025, following a 2023 seizure in Ratchaburi of 998 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. That was a sentence of a tribunal de première instance and is subject to appeal, so it is not a final sentence. Executions are rare under a de facto moratorium, but the penalty remains on the books.

6. Choisir un avocat spécialisé dans les affaires de drogue à Bangkok

1. Expérience linguistique et judiciaire, Les avocats nommés d'office manquent souvent de maîtrise de l'anglais et d'expérience approfondie des procès. Choisissez un avocat ayant des antécédents dans les affaires de drogue à fort enjeu et un soutien d'interprètes.
2. Engagement précoce, Les 48 premières heures sont cruciales pour les options de libération sous caution et la formulation des charges. Un retard peut entraîner des peines plus sévères en matière de infractions liées aux drogues.
3. Stratégie de libération sous caution, l'avocat doit concevoir contrats de cautionnement (espèces, titres fonciers) et arguments relatifs au risque de fuite adaptés aux étrangers
4. Capacité d'analyse des preuves en vertu du droit thaïlandais., L'accès à des laboratoires et des experts indépendants pour contester les niveaux de pureté et les poids peut réduire considérablement les peines potentielles.
5. Avocat en matière d'appel et d'expulsion, Le même cabinet devrait être en mesure de traiter les requêtes en réduction de peine, les demandes de transfèrement de prisonniers et d'assurer la liaison avec votre ambassade.

7. Conseils pratiques de conformité pour les expatriés

• Voyager avec des ordonnances pour des médicaments à usage personnel., Obtenez au préalable les autorisations de la FDA pour tout médicament contenant de la codéine, du diazépam ou des ingrédients réglementés similaires.
• La règle de la pilule unique, one dosage unit, or a net weight of 100 mg, or 20 mg where the drug is in flakes, powder or crystals, is the quantity presumed to be held for consumption. Carrying more does not make you a presumed seller and does not close off treatment: it removes the presumption, so the purpose becomes a matter of proof.
• Le cannabis n'est pas un laissez-passer, vous ne pouvez acheter du cannabis que dans des cliniques autorisées. Fumer en public peut toujours entraîner des amendes ou de la prison en vertu des lois sur les nuisances.
• Lieux branchés de la vie nocturne, des tests de dépistage aléatoires de drogues par urine sont souvent pratiqués dans les clubs et les fêtes privées. Un résultat positif peut entraîner des poursuites judiciaires.
• Empreinte numérique : la police utilise de plus en plus les applications de chat et les données des services de livraison dans le cadre d'opérations antidrogue. Pour vous protéger, chiffrez et effacez vos appareils ou, mieux encore, évitez de les utiliser.
• Dossiers de traçabilité des avoirs dans les affaires de consommation et de trafic de drogue., Les transferts importants non justifiés provenant de l'étranger peuvent être gelés dans l'attente d'enquêtes sur le blanchiment d'argent lié aux stupéfiants.

8. FAQ sur la législation relative aux stupéfiants en Thaïlande

9. How the Supreme Court Has Applied the 2021 Narcotics Code

Two Cour suprême decisions govern how the 2021 Code changed sentencing, and they are worth reading together because they cut in opposite directions. Neither is a general promise of leniency. Both are rulings about which law applies to conduct that straddles the Code’s commencement on 9 December 2021, which is the question that decides a great many drug cases still moving through the courts.

• Decision 272/2565, the Supreme Court sitting as a Grand Chamber: quantity is no longer the criterion. The Court held that the former Narcotics Act B.E. 2522, section 15 with section 66, imposed a heavier penalty by taking the quantity of the drug alone as decisive, whereas section 145 of the Code imposes a heavier penalty by reference to the offender’s conduct in committing the offence and their role and duty in it, and no longer takes quantity as the old law did, although a greater quantity may itself indicate that conduct and role. The consequence the Court drew is exact: where the quantity reaches the old section 66 paragraph two or three but the offender has none of the conduct or role described in section 145 paragraph two or three, the court may convict only under section 145 paragraph one.
• The same decision holds the other half, and it is the half a defendant is more likely to be hurt by. Section 21 paragraph one of the Act promulgating the Code keeps the old presumption of possession for sale in force for any case in which the trial court gave judgment before the Code commenced, until that case becomes final. So a defendant sentenced at first instance before 9 December 2021 still faces the old section 15 presumption, under which possessing a Category I narcotic in the specified quantity, for amphetamine 375 milligrams or more calculated as pure substance, is presumed to be possession for sale.
• Decision 4302/2567: for consumption offences the more favourable law applies, and it is the Code. Penal Code section 3 decides which law governs conduct committed before a change. Consuming methamphetamine was an offence under section 57 of the 1979 Act, punished by its section 91 with 6 months to 3 years, or a fine of 10,000 to 60,000 baht, or both. The same conduct is now section 104 of the Code, punished by section 162 with not more than 1 year, or a fine of not more than 20,000 baht, or both. Section 162 is more favourable, so it governs. Because section 157/1 paragraph two of the Road Traffic Act B.E. 2522 raises the narcotics penalty by one third for a driver who has consumed, the ceiling there works out at 1 year 4 months, or a fine of 26,666.66 baht, or both. On that count the defendant was sentenced to 3 months, suspendu pour 2 ans.

What this does and does not mean for you. Section 165 of the Code directs a court hearing these offences to weigh helping the defendant stop using narcotics through treatment above punishing them, and to sentence each defendant individually even where they offended together. That is a real instruction to the court and it is why mitigation, treatment and a clear account of your role matter more under the Code than they did under the 1979 Act. It is not a guarantee, and for anyone whose case began before December 2021 the old presumption in 272/2565 may still be the thing that decides it.

These outcomes show that while drug laws remain strict, outcomes can improve with evidence-based defenses. At ThaiLawOnline, our team is led by Sebastien H. Brousseau. We have avocats thaïlandais agréés, like Garn (barrister), JJ, and Wichuda (who has a master’s degree). We have used similar cases to help secure reductions, acquittals, and rehabilitation options. Don’t navigate this alone. Contact us at info@thailawonline.com pour des conseils personnalisés sur la façon dont ces décisions pourraient s'appliquer à votre situation.

Dernière révision : 5 septembre 2026. The penalty table and the classification statements on this page were read against the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 itself, from the Royal Gazette publication of 8 November 2021 (volume 138, part 73 Kor, page 1), which carries the Act bringing the Code into force and the Code annexed to it. The sections read in full are ss.29 and 30 (classification of narcotics and of psychotropic substances), the prohibitions ss.90 to 94, s.104 (consumption) and s.107 (possession for consumption and the quantity presumption), and the penalties ss.145 to 149, s.162, s.164 ET s.165. Every figure in the five-row penalty table was wrong against those sections and all of them have been replaced, along with three FAQ answers that repeated the same errors in the page’s structured data. The published table gave Category IV a five-year maximum where s.146 provides ten years and a fine of 1,000,000 Baht, took Category III to life imprisonment where s.147 caps it at three years and 300,000, and wrote every penalty as prison ou a fine where ss.145 to 148 all say ET. The figures here now match our fuller reference guide to Thailand drug laws and penalties section for section; the two pages previously disagreed on Categories I and V.

What this review does not cover, said plainly. Which named substance falls in which category is fixed by notification of the Minister of Public Health under section 29 paragraph two, and those notifications were pas read here. Section 29 itself names heroin, morphine, cocaine, codeine, medicinal opium, acetic anhydride and the opium plant, and those seven are quoted from the Code; every other substance named on this page, methamphetamine and MDMA included, comes from a notification we have not read. The cannabis position is taken from our own cannabis guide, reviewed against the controlled-herb notification on 4 September 2026, and the status of kratom is not asserted here either way. Nothing on this page about the conduct of an arrest, remand in twelve-day blocks, bail practice, evidence of corroboration after a guilty plea, prisoner transfer, extradition or deportation was verified against the Criminal Procedure Code or the transfer legislation.

Updated the same day. The final section previously described five Supreme Court outcomes with no case numbers of any kind. None could be produced from either of our stores, so they have been replaced by the two decisions that can be: 272/2565, read verbatim including the Grand Chamber passage and the section 21 transitional holding, and 4302/2567, read to its disposition. The death-penalty example was checked rather than removed: the sentence on Ong Gim Wah of 4 March 2025 is reported consistently by several independent outlets and is correctly stated, with the addition that it is a first-instance sentence and appealable.

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