PHOTO: Hungarian man sentenced to death ends up serving 18 years in Thailand’s toughest prison

Sándor Krebs shipped large quantities of drugs to Thailand 28 years ago at the request of a friend. He was caught at the airport and sentenced to death for his criminal activities. He pleaded guilty immediately, thus his sentence was reduced and he was “only” sentenced to 100 years in prison. Over time, the conviction was gradually reduced. Krebs was eventually sentenced to “only” 18 years in Thailand’s most brutal prison.

Index wrote that 28 years ago, in 1995, Sándor Krebs was caught at an airport in Thailand with two kilogrammes of heroin. He was immediately sentenced to death. It has been 11 years since the release of the graphic artist known as “Shani”, who recalls his years in prison over a decade ago. He spent 18 years in Thailand’s most brutal prison. According to him, drawing saved his life during those tough years. Drawing was the only thing that made his daily life active. Krebs said that his sentence was always reduced when the Thai king had a birthday or there was some other special day.

Life behind bars

Krebs said during an interview with RTL that although he had to live in primitive conditions in prison, he never felt confined and always found something to do. Of course, he looks back on the 18 years of his life behind bars as a negative experience. He was fed poor-quality food, had no clean water to shower, and had to share a room with 23 other people. Despite the horrible experience, he is glad that he has found his true passion: art. The Hungarian man has spent most of his days drawing, but he equally liked playing football. These were his only escape and the only possibility to spend time actively. While doing these activities, he felt like time passed faster too. He said:

If I could start again, I would certainly not touch drugs, I would have studied instead. But that cannot be changed now. Ultimately, I am grateful for what I have experienced.

Here is a photo of Mr Krebs:

Life after prison

During the interview, he was asked if he was ever able to get rid of his thoughts about prison. Krebs said that this experience cannot be erased from his brain, it will always stay in his memories and thoughts. The graphic artist later wrote a book about his experience behind bars. He visits schools regularly and gives lectures about the dangers of drugs to young people. His integration back into normal everyday life was challenging after his release. It was hard to find a connection again with his family. He was not able to find a job either for a long time. Krebs tried to make something out of his artistic skills, to make a living out of it. He wanted to build up his own business.