Pattaya —
A foreign man passed away in a marijuana shop in Pattaya after drinking what the shop owner said was a cappuccino. The cause of his death is waiting to be confirmed by the forensic team but initially believed to be a sudden cardiac arrest.
A video version of this story can be found here.
The Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan rescue center was notified of the incident on Sunday, July 30th, and rushed to help the victim at a ganja café located on Pattaya’s Walking Street at 3:46 AM. The Pattaya News has withheld the name of the café pending an investigation by the authorities.
Upon their arrival, the rescue team found a foreign man, Mr. Hamad Alblaiher, 52, of unknown nationality, lying unconscious inside the shop. Other customers at the café informed the team that the man had exhibited signs of shock before his collapse.
Despite efforts at resuscitating him, the man sadly passed away at a local hospital. The owner of the café, Mr. Suha Demirez, stated on The Pattaya News social media Facebook Page that after the incident he learned that Alblaiher had ordered only a cappuccino and a water with no cannabis prior to his death. This was in contrast to initial reports by other news outlets that the man had drank a marijuana-infused tea before his demise.
The café owner is preparing evidence to clarify this misinformation with the police.
Additionally, according to the shop staff, Alblaiher was a regular patron at the shop. He never smoked marijuana there, the staff said, adding he suddenly complained he could not breathe before collapsing to the floor, shocking other customers.
Although the cause of the man’s death is waiting to be confirmed by the forensic team, the signs he exhibited before he passed led rescue teams to believe that the man might have died due to cardiac arrest.
