This is what Daniel Sancho’s first 24 hours in hell have been like: Surat Thani, day 1

This Friday, Daniel Sancho’s father visited his son for the last time in the Koh Samui prison, where the inmate has spent the last 13 months. The actor was with him for three hours. It was the little he could do after being sentenced last Thursday to life imprisonment for the murder of Edwin Arrieta. Rodolfo Sancho spent three hours with his son, who had asked him for help with a dramatic phrase: “Dad, help me.” His mother, Silvia Bronchalo, was also able to spend 15 minutes with him before he was taken in an armoured van to the Surat Thani prison, three hours away.

This is a prison for prisoners with sentences of more than 15 years, with hellish conditions due to overcrowding, contagious diseases, terrible food and widespread violence. Pending the resolution of the announced appeals by Daniel’s defense, Surat Thani prison is the hell where Daniel Sancho will spend a long time, perhaps years, perhaps the rest of his life. And he is 30 years old. Surat Thani prison was not the worst of the options, since Bang Kwang, better known as ‘The Great Tiger’, is considered an even worse fate. However, Surat Thani prison is one of the worst penitentiary centers on the planet.

On his first night in this penitentiary, Sancho Gracia’s grandson is complying with a preventive quarantine of between 6 and 10 days due to Covid-19, according to several sources from the penitentiary informed the EFE Agency. During this procedure, still in force in Thailand, Daniel Sancho will be able to receive visits from his lawyers, but not from his family.

In addition to complying with the quarantine (something he already did when he entered the Koh Samui prison last August), Sancho also has to deal with language problems. In this penitentiary, the chef will not be able to communicate easily, since the prisoners and officers speak Thai. For this reason, Daniel Sancho has already requested an interpreter who speaks English.

When Sancho completes the stipulated quarantine, it will be decided in which zone he will be placed. “There are few foreigners, most are Burmese and Cambodian,” a prison employee told the EFE Agency.

Surat Thani Prison houses prisoners serving sentences ranging from 15 years to the death penalty. The prison also has a high-security unit and two common areas for prisoners.

The prison where Silvia Bronchalo’s son has already spent his first hours is overcrowded, as it is ten times more populated than the one in Koh Samui. According to figures from the Department of Corrections, there are a total of 4,730 male and 626 female prisoners in this prison.

Surat Thani center is located on the peninsula of Malavavery close to where the crime was committed approximately one year ago. The area is unpopulated and there is little vehicle traffic.

Life imprisonment for Daniel Sancho

Last Thursday, the judge found Sancho guilty of the three crimes of which the prosecution accused him: premeditated murder, concealment of the body -due to the dismemberment of Arrieta- and theft of other people’s documentson the passport of the Colombian surgeon, who was then 44 years old.

Daniel Sancho had only accepted his guilt in the charge of dismembering Arrietawhose remains were found in several places on the island of Phangan, near Samui, days after his death on August 2, 2023. The judge also ordered the chef to pay compensation to Arrieta’s family of 4 million bat ((almost 119,000 dollars or around 107,000 euros).