Coffeeshopholder again convicted in Thailand

bangkok - The Tilburg old-coffee shopkeeper Johan van Laarhoven has also been sued in Thailand for appeal against money laundering. Though the Thai judges reduced the imprisonment from 103 to 75 years, the time he will actually hold (20 years) remains the same.

Because Van Laarhoven wants to be transferred to a Dutch cell as soon as possible, his Dutch lawyer Tim Vis does not know whether a cassation request will be made. To qualify for this, a penalty must be irrevocable. However, Van Laarhoven has to spend another year in Thailand. The extradition treaty signed by the Netherlands and Thailand has stated that a convicted person has been in a Thai cell for at least four years. On transfer, the sentence is converted to Dutch standards.

Van Laarhoven was right for the money laundering he earned in the Netherlands with the sale of soft drugs. He was the founder of the coffee shop chain The Grass Company, with offices in Tilburg and Den Bosch.