What I Survived: Escaping Thailand’s Death Row – David McMillan (Part 1)

Podcast: What I Survived
Host: Jack Laurence
Guest: David McMillan
Date: March 31, 2026
Episode Description:
This gripping episode of "What I Survived" features the extraordinary story of David McMillan—the only Westerner known to have escaped Bangkok’s notorious Long Prem Prison (“Bangkok Hilton”). Through a candid conversation with host Jack Laurence, David recounts his journey from childhood and early brushes with the law to masterminding an international drug smuggling empire, and finally, the tragic events and betrayals that led to his fall.

Main Theme & Purpose

Jack Laurence guides listeners through David McMillan’s transformation from an unassuming British-Australian kid to a globe-trotting drug trafficker, infamous fugitive, and death row survivor. The episode dives deep into the influences that shaped David’s criminal mindset, the operational realities of the international drug trade, and the psychological and personal toll of living on the edge.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. David's Unassuming Origins and Family Background

• Ordinary beginnings: David was born in London's West End in 1956 to Australian parents. He shuttled between the UK and Australia multiple times as a child.
  • Quote: “I misread the certificate. I thought it said citizenship by being decent. It wasn’t. It was dissent. … If that’s not forgiveness, what is?” – David McMillan, 05:27
• Distant father: David’s father, John, was decorated (CBE) but emotionally unavailable and much more invested in his own life than parenthood.
  • Quote: “He was a real snob and didn’t think much of me.” – 05:32

2. Early Influences and the Allure of Crime

• Formative environment: As a teen, David was surrounded by people (including a stepfather and other doctors) skirting the law, which normalized criminal thinking and fostered distrust of authorities.
  • Quote: “We were surrounded by respected people who came home with a soup lol, a bag full of cash. The police were the enemy, the laws were there to be broken and I was 14 years old.” – David McMillan, 08:07
• First encounter with drug trade economics: A trip to the library and seeing opium’s markup in the Guinness Book of Records inspired David to pursue drug trafficking as a route to wealth and control.
  • Quote: “By 18, I was really going to the library, looking up what is the quickest and most profitable thing to do in the world ... It was 127,000%.” – 09:24

3. Breaking Bad—First Steps in Smuggling

• First attempt: A comically amateurish first smuggling job—hash hidden in a hollow radio—almost busted by customs, but miraculously, he gets through.
  • Memorable moment: Customs officer fiddling obliviously with the empty radio dial (12:11).
• Learning the trade: After close calls, David meticulously studies customs procedures, passport controls, and the weaknesses in border security.
  • Quote: “Instead of …living on the good graces of some wizened Sydney customs officer, I’ve learned how they do their thing ... The guy watching from behind ... when the guy who’s going through your stuff lifts up teddy bear, gives him a bit of a squeeze ... As soon as you change like that, he taps the man who’s doing the searches. The last object was it, wow.” – David McMillan, 12:59–15:01

4. The Psychology and Passion of Smuggling

• Obsessive dedication: David develops not only expertise but an attachment to the process and the contraband, likening his relationship with the drugs to a ship's “feminine personality.”
  • Quote: “When I’d finally get back to my little zone of operations … I didn’t want to let him go.” – 15:17
• Training subordinates: He personally oversees couriers like a stern teacher, always traveling close by, unwilling to let them fail on crucial jobs.
  • Quote: “I didn’t want them making any decisions that wouldn’t be a disaster.” – 16:26

5. Surviving Amongst Killers—Image and Deception

• Non-threatening facade: David’s unremarkable appearance gives him an edge with authorities while he uses psychological tricks to warn off dangerous associates.
  • Quote: “People fear what they don’t know ... the idea of kidnapping me and wringing money out of me was not. Somebody would be really very reckless to take that on ...” – 17:57
• Dangerous company: Lesson on not looking the part—stories of notorious hitman James Bazley (“The Iceman”) and the violence entrenched in criminal circles.
  • Australian criminal history interlude: 19:30–21:01

6. Betrayal, Tragedy, and the Cost of Crime

• Operation Ares and the downfall: Australian detectives, tipped off by David’s travel agent, start unraveling his network—finding a web of fake passports, birth certificates, and international couriers.
  • Quote: “There was seemingly no explanation for this man’s extreme wealth ... The police now well and truly had David and his syndicate in their sights ...” – 25:32
• Devastating turn: Police arrest David, Michael, and their wives. An arsonist informant sent into the women’s prison sets fire to it, resulting in the deaths of both wives.
  • Chilling moment: The news of the prison fire trickling into the men’s prison, and David’s guilt.
    • Quote: “I felt like really for the first time I had blood on my hands and it was almost like my own… the authorities [put] it about that we had started to eliminate all the witnesses and starting with your own wives.” – 29:55–30:49

7. Inside the Prison System

• Incarcerated in Jaika Jiker: Descriptions of Victoria’s toughest prison; constant suspicion, and a thwarted helicopter escape scam “arranged” by a fraudster in collusion with police.
  • Quote: “The trial was made worse by a lot of stirrings, including the great prison helicopter escape that wasn’t ... but I didn’t realize that it was actually a scam done with the cooperation of the Federal Police.” – 31:36–32:40

8. Setup for Part II

• Aftermath: The police “party” in David’s confiscated home; once released, David heads overseas—his choices will eventually lead him to Thailand’s death row.
  • Quote: “The police moved into my house in Beaumuris. They partied like it was 1999 and the local police had come down to stop the noise.” – 33:28
• Ominous foreshadowing: “You know your fact, don’t you? You’re finished.” – as told to David in a Thai prison by an Australian liaison. 33:48

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On early criminal influences:
  “We were surrounded by respected people who came home with a soup lol, a bag full of cash. The police were the enemy, the laws were there to be broken and I was 14 years old.” – David, 08:07
• On the logic of smuggling:
  “The Guinness Book of Record made it very plain that the wholesale price of opium in the fields of Turkey compared with street price in New York City, the final product was 127,000%.” – 09:24
• Customs scare:
  “There were three pairs of socks, a T-shirt and this thing ... He spent the day tuning dial, which kept on spinning.” – 11:44–12:14
• Attachment to the product:
  “I didn’t want to let him go. Well, it was a herb I then who’d taken on a kind of ship’s feminine personality.” – 15:17
• Loyalty under pressure:
  “David, don’t explain anything. We don’t have time. Just tell me what I’ve got to do and what I need to bring. I thought, wow, you know that’s what you want, don’t you?” – 22:44
• The deepest guilt:
  “I felt completely responsible and guilty. I felt like really for the first time I had blood on my hands ... the authorities [put] it about that we had started to eliminate all the witnesses and starting with your own wives.” – 29:55–30:49

Important Segment Timestamps

• (04:02) – David on the possibility of execution and international indifference to his fate
• (05:27) – Childhood story of citizenship and family moves
• (08:07) – Influence of stepfather’s criminal world
• (09:24) – Discovering drug market economics
• (11:44–12:14) – First attempted drug smuggling, close call at customs
• (12:59–15:17) – Smuggling technique and psychology
• (17:57) – Methods of deterring dangerous associates
• (22:44) – Example of criminal loyalty (story about Michael helping from the outside)
• (27:45–30:49) – Prison fire, death of wives, and emotional aftermath
• (31:36–32:40) – “Helicopter escape” scam inside prison
• (33:28–34:01) – Police “enjoying” David’s property, ominous fate in Thai prison

Tone and Storytelling

The interplay between Jack’s curiosity and David’s dry, occasionally dark wit creates a narrative that’s equal parts thrilling, poignant, and reflective. David’s stories are shared with a mix of rueful detachment and self-awareness, often returning to the emotional cost and irreversible tragedies behind the headlines.

To Be Continued...

This first episode closes with a cliffhanger—David, newly released from Australian prison, is about to make a fateful decision that will land him on Thailand’s death row. Part Two promises his account of surviving (and escaping) one of the world’s most infamous prisons.

A must-listen for true crime aficionados, this episode offers rare insight into the mind and methods of a notorious survivor—and the life-or-death consequences of a life conducted outside the law.