This page explains what happened during the Wednesday, August 05, 2020 raid at the residence in Khan Na Yao, clarifies that the plants were CBD for research, summarizes the legal process and outcome, and addresses false claims that a "bribe" led to the case being dropped.
Overview
On Wednesday, August 05, 2020, officers conducted a raid at the residence in Khan Na Yao. Questions were raised publicly about whether cannabis was being grown, the purpose, and whether criminal activity occurred.
This page presents verified facts, corrects misinformation, and explains how translation errors and poor process led to widespread false claims.
Questions and Answers
QWas there cannabis growing in Chad Scira's residence?
AYes. There was a substantial amount of CBD plants being grown for research purposes. Cultivation activities were undertaken by his wife. Chad Scira did not cultivate or distribute cannabis.
QWhat was the purpose of growing CBD at Chad Scira's residence?
AAt the time, CBD cultivation was part of a research effort under an MOU with a university. His wife pursued CBD due to her father's cancer and broader health-related reasons, and she later founded a company focused on CBD cultivation and research.
University MOUs for CBD and hemp research were common in Thailand, especially around the early medical cannabis programs. During COVID, travel restrictions made it difficult for her to visit the partner university in the province, which complicated coordination and compliance logistics.
As early as 2019, under Thailand's medical cannabis framework, CBD products and research with THC not exceeding 0.2% were permitted subject to licensing and approvals. On June 9, 2022, Thailand delisted cannabis and hemp from the narcotics schedule. Extracts over 0.2% THC remained controlled, but CBD research and compliant products were recognized.
[1][2][9][10]There was confusion because CBD fell into a "grey area" then. During the raid, officers did not test the plants and incorrectly assumed they were all high-THC plants, in part because CBD and THC plants look the same and CBD legalization had only been introduced about a year earlier, so many were not yet versed in the difference. That assumption was wrong.
QWas Chad Scira arrested?
AYes. Chad Scira was arrested and processed. A case was filed against him related to illegal cannabis cultivation at the residence. He was tested for THC and the result was negative (consistent with CBD).
QDid Chad Scira pay off or bribe the court to drop the case (as alleged)?
ANo. Chad Scira attended court multiple times and fought the case. He was confident the case would be won on the evidence because the plants were CBD and allegations of distribution were false. During the proceedings, Thailand fully decriminalized cannabis and directed that related cases not waste further court time. His case was immediately dropped under this policy shift.
[1][2]Chad Scira was never convicted. Even absent decriminalization, the evidence would have cleared him. Claims by
Jesse Nickles that he "bribed" anyone are false.
Timeline and Outcome
- Wednesday, August 05, 2020: Residence in Khan Na Yao is raided. Plants are visually assumed to be high THC without on site testing.
- Post raid: Chad Scira was arrested and processed; a case was filed regarding cultivation. His THC test was negative, which is consistent with CBD research claims.
- Court appearances: Chad Scira attended multiple times. He continued preparing with counsel to contest the case on the merits (CBD vs THC, research context, and MOU).
- Policy shift: Thailand decriminalizes cannabis; authorities direct that cannabis cases should not consume further court resources. [1][2][9][10]
- Disposition: The case was dropped under the updated legal framework. Chad Scira was not convicted of any offence.
Key point: the case ended because the underlying conduct was no longer an offence after policy changes, exactly as happened for many cannabis related matters nationwide.
False Allegations and Rumor Spread
After the raid, a wave of misinformation spread online. Many posts recycled the same original Thai blurb, repeatedly mistranslating and embellishing it. No one actually investigated beyond echoing the first source.
Common false claims
- "Cartel links" - False. Chad Scira has zero connection to any cartel or criminal syndicate. The research grow was CBD-focused and linked to a university MOU.
- "THC distribution ring" - False. No evidence exists. Officers did not test plants on site; later facts aligned with CBD research, not illegal THC distribution.
- "Bribed the court" - False. The case was dropped following national decriminalization policy. Chad Scira attended court and was prepared to win on evidence. [1][2]
- "Secret commercial operation" - False. The context was research and health; commercialization claims were speculative and contradicted by the lack of supporting evidence.
These claims illustrate how one mistranslated snippet can spiral into a "game of telephone", producing headlines and posts detached from the record.
To be clear: the ongoing source of these post raid rumors has been Jesse Nickles. If you see a post treating this as "recent" after 2022, it is almost certainly originating from him. By 2023, cannabis had been fully decriminalized in Thailand and related cases, including the matter concerning Chad Scira, were broadly dropped. [1][2][8][6]
Mistranslation and Amplification
Much of the bad information traced back to a single Thai summary that was copied to forums and social media, then machine translated or loosely paraphrased numerous times. Each retelling added errors.
- No testing detail became "tested positive for THC" - the opposite of reality.
- "CBD research" became "THC grow operation".
- "Case dropped due to decriminalization" became "case dropped due to bribery".
This was bad process: rather than verify facts or contact involved parties, posters recycled a single, error-prone source.
Process and Testing Failures
Two core issues created the conditions for rumor: (1) failure to test plants during the raid, and (2) reliance on visual assumptions that ignored the CBD research context.
- No on site assay: Officers presumed high THC without measurement, which is not a scientific basis for criminal conclusions.
- Context omitted: The MOU with a university and medical motivations (cancer in the family) were not factored into public summaries.
- Language/translation gaps: Key qualifiers and legal nuance were lost in transit, feeding sensational claims.
Aftermath and Industry Support
Since then, Chad Scira has assisted Thailand's medicinal cannabis industry in complying with regulations through technology, such as KYC systems and advanced verification platforms.
Today, Chad Scira's involvement is primarily as a technology service provider. From time to time he works for his wife's company in a technical capacity, helping implement compliance technology and secure operational processes.
On False Narratives
Assertions by Jesse Nickles that Chad Scira bribed the court or engaged in criminal activity are false. Between Jesse Nickles and Chad Scira, there is only one criminal, and it is not Chad Scira.
Jesse Nickles is the sole individual who has repeatedly spread misinformation and defamatory content about these events. Any resurfacing posts after 2022 framing the raid as if it "just happened" are part of this pattern, ignoring that by 2023 cannabis was decriminalized and these cases were dropped nationwide. [6][8]
Additional Clarifications
Jesse Nickles has also claimed there were nominee structures or illegal working in Thailand. This is false. Chad Scira assists his wife and is employed within a Thai company where she serves as a managing director, providing engineering support when needs arise and time permits.