An Australian man and his Thai wife have been sentenced to death in Thailand. The Thai court convicted Luke Cook, 34, and his wife Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, of smuggling a half ton of crystal meth into Thailand. Thai police arrested the two last year at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport when they arrived from Australia, reports Newsweek.

Luke Cook from Perth, Australia, moved to Pattaya about 10 years ago. He became a successful businessman who owned restaurants, bars, and a business that leased luxury boats. During that time he ended up joining the Hell’s Angel Gang in Pattaya. Through this affiliation, he met fellow gang member William Schneider who paid Cook $10 million dollars to smuggle crystal meth into Thailand with his boat. Schneider agreed and found a dealer from China who could supply him with a half ton of crystal meth.

However, when he was bringing back the drugs on his boat, a Thai Navy Ship spotted Cook. As a result, Cook ended up dumping the drugs in the sea and escaping. But the next day villagers found four yellow animal feed sacks near the beach in Rayong, containing the drugs, worth about $300 million.

Schneider demanded his money back from Cook for the botched delivery. Another Hell’s Angel member Antonio Bagato, who was a friend of Cook, got a group of his friends and headed over to Schneiders home. They tied Schneider up to a chair and beat him to death with pipes and brass knuckles. Then they buried the body.

The police found Schneider’s body the following day in a shallow grave. The security guards at Schneider’s villa told the police that five men forced themselves into Schneiders building. Their investigation led them to Antonio Bagato who fled Thailand with the aid of Cook. Bagato was eventually caught and sentenced to death for the murder. But his sentence was reduced to life in prison. Cook pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting to murder by driving Bagato to Cambodia. For his involvement, Cook got three months in jail which was suspended for two years.

When police arrested Cook and his wife last year, they had received a “tip” that they were part of a “transnational drug network”. Police seized their businesses and properties worth nearly a million dollars.

Although they were sentenced to death, most believe their sentence will be reduced to life in prison.