A pub in downtown Chon Buri province is facing a 5-year closure after 157 customers tested positive for drug use. 150 officials from the Provincial Administration Department (PAD) and narcotic suppression police raided the venue early this morning.
No local police were involved, out of concerns that some of them might alert the pub manager to the imminent raid.
PAD officials said that many empty plastic bags containing traces of white powder, suspected to be Ecstasy or Ketamine, were found scattered on the floor of the pub.
There were about 500 customers in the pub at the time of the raid. All were subjected to urine tests and 68 men and 89 women tested positive for drug use. Eight customers were under 20.
The officials said that the pub offered food, alcoholic drinks and concerts to customers, but it did not have an operating license. The pub’s manager was taken into custody for questioning.
The provincial governor will be asked to close the pub for five years.
