Pattaya, Thailand – American newspaper publisher, Drew Noyes, a well-known, if not infamous Pattaya businessman and owner of the Pattaya Times and P.A.P.P.A Legal Services, was arrested and charged with extortion for allegedly threatening to run a disparaging story on an Australian-run plastic surgery chain, if it’s owner didn’t pay him over $200,000 in bribes.

The Thais love a good photo-op. Here is the accuser, Mike Oscar Goulet talking trash after the bust. Also pictured are the accused, Drew Noyes and his wife and editor of the Pattaya Times, Khun Wanpar.

Pattaya One reports,

On Saturday Morning at Pattaya Police Station, Police Major General Jamnong, the Chonburi Provincial Police Commander who was flanked by Police Colonel Nantawoot, the Pattaya Police Superintendent announced the arrest of Mr. Drew Walter Noyes aged 56 and his Thai Wife, Khun Wanpar aged 29 who were caught following an undercover operation at a Jomtien Restaurant on Friday Night. Also present at the press conference was the Australian owner of the Thonglor Clinic which has branches in Jomtien and Bangkok.

According to police, Mr. Noyes attempted to extort 7 million baht or roughly $220,000 from Australian plastic surgery clinic chain-owner, Mike Oscar Goulet in exchange for not running an incriminating story on his business.

The story Mr. Noyes was purportedly going to run in the Pattaya Times supposedly claimed that Goulet was using unlicensed and potentially unsafe products at his clinics, a story which would have been very bad for business in Thailand, widely considered the cosmetic surgery Mecca of Asia.

Goulet made Noyes a counter-offer of 2.3 million baht and then contacted police. Thai police persuaded the Australian to arrange a meeting with Noyes, where he was to pay an initial deposit of 100,000 baht to the publisher.

The meeting was held at a restaurant, where the deal went down. Goulet met Noyes and his wife, editor of the Pattaya Times, Khun Wanpar and made the initial pay-off with marked police bills. Undercover police swooped in after the pay-off was made, arrested the couple at the scene and took them back to the station, accuser and all, for an amusing photo-op of Farang on Farang crime in Thailand.

It now looks as if Mr. Noyes will be the one that faces the bittersweet fangs of the Thai media and legal system. A system he was once so easily able to manipulate to intimidate and silence his opponents has cosmically turned on him. Karma sometimes has a funny way of punishing people for their stupidity, and so far, Mr Noyes’ initial punishment of being run through the press for his ridiculousness seems about right. Who knows, his story may even make the headlines over at thePattaya Times.

For more information on Noyes and his colorful past, have a look at this hilarious parody video that was uploaded to You Tube earlier in the day:

-- Edited by Roaming reporter on Wednesday 14th of March 2012 01:01:01 AM