Thais stop topless drug smuggler

Mr Kiernan could face the death penalty

A British man who smuggled more than 9,000 ecstasy tablets past Bangkok Customs says he was later arrested - for not wearing a shirt.

Alan John Kiernan was found by police who stopped him to be carrying packs of ecstasy pills in his trousers.

"Shit happens," said Mr Kiernan, who could face the death penalty.

The 35-year-old arrived in Thailand from Switzerland on Friday, and was stopped in a park the following day. His haul is worth at least $100,000.

Police said Mr Kiernan wanted to sell the pills to foreigners in Bangkok.

The man, whose travel documents said he came from Southampton in southern England, told a news conference that he had only been caught because he had been wandering around without a shirt.

"They didn't catch me at the airport," he told Reuters Television. "I got through eight customs without being stopped once."

One report suggested Mr Kiernan came to the police's attention because of his unusual behaviour.

Another Briton, 19-year-old Michael Connell, pleaded not guilty in a Thai court on Monday, for allegedly smuggling 3,400 ecstasy tablets into the country in November.