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What if you were to post a photo of yourself using drugs to social media? Could the UK police arrest you for that? In South Korea they can and do arrest and pr

by kyllo 12y ago

What if you were to post a photo of yourself using drugs to social media? Could the UK police arrest you for that? In South Korea they can and do arrest and prosecute people for photographic / recorded evidence of them doing drugs even while overseas.

corin_ 12y ago
I've no idea. I suspect that yes, since it's photographic evidence of what is a crime (possession), whereas if you just tweeted "I'm high as hell right now" that wouldn't be proof of a crime. But I also suspect they'd never bother to arrest for something like that unless you were dealing. Even if they catch you with drugs on you, as much as possession (non-dealing) charges have high maximums - for class A drugs I think the maximum is 7 years prison + fine for possession or life in prison for dealing - realistically you're unlikely to get in much trouble for a small quantity. Weed unless you're a serious repeat offender, or a cop decides he hates you, you'll either get an on-the-spot official "caution" and fine up to £90, or more likely a non-recorded verbal warning and confiscation. For harder drugs police aren't meant to do that, but stories I've heard you're still more likely to get confiscation and possibly a caution. I've even known weed dealers (low level) who've been caught and only had to give up the cash and weed they had on them.
- richthegeek 12y ago
  No they wouldn't - it might provide basis for a search warrant if the pictured quantity is large enough, but they have no way of proving that the thing in the picture is actually cocaine vs baking sugar. As a slightly related anecdote, a friend of a friend got caught with 11 grams of cocaine (supplying for a party, I think) and by the time he got to court he was being charged with possession of 4 grams, which reduced his "years in prison" with "a few months probation and a fine". No mention of where the 7 grams went in the months between.
- lotsofmangos 12y ago
  Photographic evidence or CCTV, by itself, is almost never enough to reach a conviction.

by kyllo 12y ago

corin_ 12y ago

I've no idea. I suspect that yes, since it's photographic evidence of what is a crime (possession), whereas if you just tweeted "I'm high as hell right now" that wouldn't be proof of a crime. But I also suspect they'd never bother to arrest for something like that unless you were dealing. Even if they catch you with drugs on you, as much as possession (non-dealing) charges have high maximums - for class A drugs I think the maximum is 7 years prison + fine for possession or life in prison for dealing - realistically you're unlikely to get in much trouble for a small quantity. Weed unless you're a serious repeat offender, or a cop decides he hates you, you'll either get an on-the-spot official "caution" and fine up to £90, or more likely a non-recorded verbal warning and confiscation. For harder drugs police aren't meant to do that, but stories I've heard you're still more likely to get confiscation and possibly a caution. I've even known weed dealers (low level) who've been caught and only had to give up the cash and weed they had on them.

richthegeek 12y ago
No they wouldn't - it might provide basis for a search warrant if the pictured quantity is large enough, but they have no way of proving that the thing in the picture is actually cocaine vs baking sugar. As a slightly related anecdote, a friend of a friend got caught with 11 grams of cocaine (supplying for a party, I think) and by the time he got to court he was being charged with possession of 4 grams, which reduced his "years in prison" with "a few months probation and a fine". No mention of where the 7 grams went in the months between.
lotsofmangos 12y ago
Photographic evidence or CCTV, by itself, is almost never enough to reach a conviction.