Teen Faces Years in Thailand Prison for ‘$100 Crime’ at Airport

A New Zealand teenager’s month-long vacation in Thailand turned into a legal nightmare after he picked up a watch left in an airport security tray — a mistake that could now cost him years behind bars.

Loukas Rainger, 18, had been traveling across Thailand with his best friend and was preparing to fly home July 16 when immigration officers stopped him at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.

According to his mother, Natasha Rainger, officials told the stunned teenager that a warrant had been issued for his arrest over a watch that disappeared from a security checkpoint at Surat Thani Airport nearly two weeks earlier.

Loukas allegedly picked up the women’s Swatch watch after it was left behind in a tray with his belongings. The silver-colored watch is believed to be worth only about $80 to $100, but Thai authorities have charged him with theft in an airport, an offense that is treated more seriously than ordinary theft.

According to legal documents obtained by New Zealand outlet Stuff, Loukas could face up to five years in prison and a fine of between 20,000 and 100,000 Thai baht, or roughly $550 to $2,750.

His family insists the teenager did not intentionally steal anything and simply failed to realize the watch did not belong to him.

Natasha said her son was “completely confused” when immigration officials informed him about the warrant. He reportedly told her he had no idea why he was being arrested.

Authorities retrieved his checked luggage and detained him overnight at a Bangkok police station. The following day, he was transported hundreds of miles back to Surat Thani.

“The next day he spent 12 hours handcuffed to a chair while being taken on a train from Bangkok back down to Surat Thani, where he was taken to a police station and only then interviewed,” Natasha told Stuff.

Court documents state that Loukas denied the charges during questioning.

Investigators said the watch belonged to a woman who passed through security at Surat Thani Airport at around 8:30 a.m. on July 3. She removed the watch and placed it in a security tray but apparently forgot to collect it afterward.

“At approximately 8:58 a.m., it was discovered that a foreign male identified as Loukas Rainger had taken the watch with him,” the case documents reportedly state.

The woman later filed a police complaint, and authorities obtained a warrant for Loukas’ arrest on July 10.

Natasha said her son told her the watch had been sitting in the same tray as his personal items.

“That watch … he told me it was on the airport tray with his belongings, so he just picked it up too,” she said.

Loukas’ attorney initially applied for bail, but the request was reportedly denied because the teenager did not have the proper visa to remain in Thailand while the case moved through the courts.

The court also demanded proof that he had booked three months of accommodations in the country before bail could be approved. Natasha’s own visa is set to expire Aug. 18.

Werabhat Hemthansarp, managing partner at the Phuket-based law firm Lawyer Republic, said he had been working to change Loukas’ visa status so the teenager could legally stay in Thailand until sentencing.

The lawyer also arranged compensation for the woman who owned the watch.

“I have been told the watch was around $80 to $100 on eBay, and the watch has been returned to her, and she has also received an apology from Loukas in prison,” Hemthansarp said.

He added that the woman accepted the apology and agreed to receive $1,000 in compensation.

Loukas was eventually released after his family paid 100,000 Thai baht in bail, equal to roughly $2,750.

Natasha said seeing her son walk out of custody brought enormous relief, but the family’s ordeal is far from finished.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said. “The only thing that matters right now is seeing my son walk through the gates. We’ll take it from there.”

Although Natasha believes her son never intended to steal the watch, she acknowledged that he should have turned it in to airport staff.

“He didn’t maliciously steal it or intend to steal someone’s belongings,” she said. “He didn’t think. He’s inexperienced, young.”

She added that Loukas had recently completed a long boat trip and had been seriously ill before the airport incident.

“He should have left it or handed it in, but that doesn’t deserve years in a Thai prison,” she said.

Loukas and his mother must now remain in Ko Samui while the case continues. They are also required to report to a local police station every two weeks.