Bangkok pub raid can’t find anything illegal to bust

Drug raids have become common around Thailand, but some are definitely less fruitful than others. Sometimes a club is open only during legal operating hours, following all the rules, and packed with law-abiding citizens. Despite receiving complaints from residents in the surrounding neighbourhood, police and army officers found nothing illegal in a recent raid in Bangkok.

The raid on a hotel-based pub in the Sutthisan area of the capitol city ended in disappointment for law enforcement officials when they failed to find any proof of underage drinking, drugs, or other illegal activities.

The pub, located on the first and fifth floors of the hotel, was bustling with activity when the officials arrived. Passports and ID cards were examined, and none of the many patrons were found to be under the age of 20, the legal drinking age in Thailand.

Police proceeded with their pursuit of impropriety and next performed urine tests for drugs. None of the people tested returned any trace of illegal drugs in their system. Searching the premises, including several private karaoke rooms turned up no illegal narcotics anywhere on site.

The investigating officers did find some hints at possibly illegal activities in the raid, but nothing solid enough to be incriminating.

While the search turned up some dice in the pub, it appeared they were only being used for games among groups of drinkers, and not unlawful gambling. Likewise, small plastic bags and straws were found in a few drawers, the type that could be used to hold and consume drugs, but they did not contain any traces of illegal narcotics.

The police even searched through the garbage bins, but still came up empty-handed.

A team of Thai PBS reporters accompanied the police on the raid, but there was no story to report as the establishment was found to be operating within the law. Though this raid yielded no illegal activity, raids are likely to continue in Bangkok and throughout Thailand in the coming weeks and months.