Police sweep nightlife venues in Bangkok amid crackdown on drugs and nominee businesses
Police raided nightlife venues in Bangkok, Thailand, in a crackdown on drugs and nominee businesses in the city.
Officers stormed pubs, restaurants, and karaoke venues in the Huai Khwang district suspected of being drug dens and foreign-run businesses.
Police Colonel Kamphol Rattanaprateep led cops as they swept into the establishments on Tuesday evening, September 1.
At KL Club BKK, officers found 28 tables and recorded a closing time of midnight. Eight customers and employees underwent urine tests, with one staff member testing positive for drugs.
Officers then searched two nearby cafes and conducted drug tests on customers and employees. No positive results were recorded, but authorities found tables and chairs placed on the pavement, allegedly violating the Act on the Maintenance of Cleanliness and Orderliness of the Country.
At the Folk Phra Nakhon pub, officers identified suspected irregularities in its operating licence and seized documents for further inspection.
A search of another venue found no illegal activity, while two other establishments had already closed when officers arrived.
Police said the crackdown, dubbed 'Operation Huai Khwang White: Restoring 100% Confidence', was on its third day. It followed an earlier raid on the 577 Club that catered heavily to Chinese revellers.
Authorities had raided the venue on August 29, finding two bags of ketamine and three people who tested positive for drugs.
The club was also accused of operating without a licence and reopening despite a previous closure order last year, sparking a probe into alleged nominee ownership.
Five high-ranking police officers suspected of allowing the club to continue operating have been reassigned from their posts.
Police Colonel Kamphol said the late-night raids will continue until all entertainment venues in the Huai Khwang area have been inspected.
He said: 'We will inspect all 40 licensed entertainment venues, pubs and bars within the Huai Khwang Police Station jurisdiction, continuing daily until every location has been checked.'
