Police close nightclub after raid on Pattaya Walking Street
Pattaya Police will recommend the closure of a popular nightclub to the provincial governor after the venue’s repeated license violations on the district’s notorious Walking Street.
Flexx Club on Walking Street in tambon Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, was raided by police in the early hours of this morning for violating legal operating hours.
The raid, led by Pattaya Police Chief Investigator Pol. Lt. Col. Pichit Chamhuap, was conducted at 4.30am today after the authorities received complaints that the club was staying open beyond its 2am closing time, reported Bangkok Post.
Around 50 Thai and foreign customers were present in the club at the time of the raid, with many of them dancing to music. Police officers blocked all exits, segregated the customers by gender, and checked their identification documents.
The club manager was apprehended and charged with operating the venue without a valid license and staying open beyond the permitted hours while also selling alcoholic drinks.
According to the police, the club has been raided multiple times before and continued to operate without a valid license. As a result, a letter will be forwarded to the provincial governor recommending the closure of the venue.
Flexx nightclub is a multiple offender. It was raided on July 24 last year at 5am after complaints were made to the police about drug use.
About 50 police and city regulatory officers stormed the building, packed with more than 200 revellers singing and dancing, arresting three people for drug use. They also seized 33 shisha pipes and three kilograms of illegal Baraku tobacco.
Kullachart said informants had told police Flexx turned blind eyes to people selling cocaine to foreigners. No drugs or dealers were found, however.
The club was cited for operating after legal hours.
Flexx isn’t the only club on the notorious Walking Club raided by police recently.
In the early hours of February 16, Pattaya Police and district officials raided the Dragon Man Club which was found to be operating without a permit and beyond the permitted opening hours. Upon arrival, authorities found approximately 50 individuals still drinking and dancing at the venue, 15 of whom tested positive for drugs, including 14 men and a woman.
During a subsequent search, authorities discovered plastic sachets containing powders that they believe to be illegal drugs hidden in the staff lockers. Some of these packets had been opened, and traces of them were found in the venue’s rubbish bins. Used condoms were also found throughout the premises.
The club’s staff and the 15 customers who tested positive for drugs were taken to Pattaya Police Station for legal action.
Pisit Sirisawasdinukul, the Bang Lamung district chief, revealed that the pub was operating without a license, open beyond the mandated closing time of 2am, and permitted drug use on the premises.
He reported the incident to Chon Buri Governor Thawatchai Srithong to recommend that the venue be closed for five years.
