Thailand Hands Over 3 U.S. Drug Traffickers
Three Americans jailed in Thailand more than four years ago for drug trafficking were handed over to U.S. officials today to serve the rest of their sentences in the United States, a prison official said.
They were the first Americans released under an exchange treaty signed in 1982 under which prisoners who have served four years or one third of their sentence can apply for a transfer.
Mark Wagner, 29, sentenced to 37 years, and Steven Moscoe, 38, sentenced to 34 years, have both served more than four years. Wagner’s alias is James Parr and Moscoe’s is Karl Most. Bradford Bufkin, 39, has served five years of his 28-year sentence.
The three were escorted from Bankwang Prison in Nonburi province by a U.S. Embassy official. They will fly to the United States on Saturday in custody of U.S. Prison Bureau officials.
A total of 302 Westerners are serving jail sentences in Thailand, most of them for drug offenses.
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