"I know Paul (McCartney) joins me in supporting the student's campaign for justice !"

(Mark Featherstone-Witty, Chief Executive of LIPA, the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts)
Chris Snell, a lecturer in music at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Art (aka LIPA or Paul McCartney fame school), husband and father of two children, has been set up by criminals who put drugs in his suitcase on his way from Switzerland to Japan.
Right now he is at Chiba Detention Centre.

On May 9 2002 Chris left for Zurich with the intention of spending a couple of days working on Shahine's music and then travelling to Tokyo to work with 'G' Thompson. Just before Chris left to catch his flight to Tokyo, Andre asked him to take a garment bag with clothes in to his brother 'G'. The bag was too big to fit into Chris's suitcase so Andre offered to loan Chris a bigger case of his own.

Chris agreed to do this, he had no reason to mistrust Andre. He thought they had a good working relationship, the suitcase looked fine, he left his own suitcase at Andre's house in Zurich intending to pick it up on the next visit. At Narita airport Chris went through customs and was stopped and searched. The suitcase Andre had given him had a false lining and hidden inside was 3 kilos of marijuana, vacuum packed and sandwiched between 2 sheets of plastic. Chris was arrested. Of course he denied any knowledge of the marijuana and protested his innocence.

If you want to get in touch with Olga Snell, Chris' wife, email:

Also important is to stay in touch with Chris Snell himself. He is dying to receive any letters, no matter how short ! If people want to write to Chris they can, as long as they understand everything is censored in and out!
The address is: Chris Snell (3872)
1-35-1 Kosuge Katsushika-Ku Tokyo-To Japan 124-0001

He can also receive magazines and books if anybody is interested in sending him anything !

UPDATE AS OF 21/10/2003 - Chris Snell is in Funcha Prison now waat for his transfer back to the UK to go through.

Click Here for the Chris Snell Website