A retired British businessman who became a real-life Walter White has died after smashing into the back of a lorry in a high-speed police chase.
David Sewell panicked when police saw him acting suspiciously and subsequently found 80 methamphetamine pills, seven bags of cocaine, five of crystal meth and a large bag of cannabis on his front passenger seat.
He moved to Udon Thani, Thailand, several years ago and started leading a double life just like Breaking Bad’s central character portrayed by Bryan Cranston.
Sewell’s Thai wife believed that he was out drinking with friends at night when in fact he was dealing drugs
Sewell’s car ploughed into the back of a lorry during the high-speed police chase after he fled police in a panic
The 60-year-old lived a normal life by day, visiting Buddhist temples, handing food to the poor and looking after his bulldog.
His 47-year-old Thai wife, Maen, with whom he had a daughter, said she thought he was out drinking with friends when he disappeared each night.
But when he headed out in his unassuming grey Honda Civic, it was actually to sell drugs to expats and pensioners.
Officers found drugs stashed in his boot including methamphetamine pills, crystal meth, cocaine and cannabis
This drug haul was recovered from the vehicle after Sewel panicked and fled from police in Thailand where he had been selling drugs
Police suspected Sewell when they saw him acting strangely while parked on a roadside with his door open on Thursday evening.
Several police cars gave chase at speed for more than 10km before Sewell ploughed into the back of an 18-wheel truck on a motorway at 9pm. He was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead.
David Sewell (pictured, left) started leading a double life like Breaking Bad’s Walter White (pictured, right, Bryan Cranston in the role) so that he could sell drugs to expats
Officers said the drugs were stashed inside empty smartphone boxes. They believe that Sewell, who ran an importing and exporting business, had been regularly selling them to other elderly expats.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Pattanawong Janpon, deputy chief of Udon Thani Provincial Police Station, said: ‘We saw a car with the driver’s door open and went over to see if there was a problem. We noticed that the driver was a foreigner.
‘He was very surprised when he saw us and panicked. He slammed the door closed and drove away quickly. We knew then that there was something illegal going on so we called for back-up.’
This large bag of cannabis was in Sewell’s car when he crashed into the back of a lorry during the police chase
Lieutenant Colonel Janpon said that several patrol cars joined the chase which continued for 10km. The Brit then smashed into the back of a lorry.
The police chief added: ‘The crash happened at about 21:00. We immediately called for an ambulance.
The drug dealer’s driving licence is pictured after he died as a result of smashing into the back of a lorry
‘The foreigner was removed from the wreckage but his injuries were life-threatening and he died later in hospital.’
Police contacted David’s wife, Maen, who said she they had been married for two years and she ‘no idea’ her husband had been involved in drugs.
Officers later found marijuana hidden in the couple’s home in the Sam prao district of the province and the wife was detained for further questioning.
Lieutenant Colonel Janpon added: ‘The foreigner’s wife said she had no idea her husband was dealing drugs. She said that she thought he was out drinking with friends at night time.
‘We think that the foreign man had been dealing drugs for several years to other foreigners in the area. We will investigate the case further.’