Chinatown crackdown: 48 partying Chinese nabbed in Bangkok massage parlour drug bust
Forty-eight Chinese nationals were arrested by Children and Women Protection Sub-Division and Narcotics Control Board officers during a drug-fuelled party at a massage parlour on New Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok early this morning.
The Superintendent of the Children and Women Protection Sub-Division, Theerasak Chantarapipat, shared the arrest details with ThaiRath. Theerasak disclosed that a tip-off had been received by the officers regarding a private drug party exclusively for Chinese individuals at the Diamond KTV in Bangkok.
Following a two-week investigation, it was discovered that the establishment operated from 10pm until the early morning hours of the following day, catering to affluent Chinese patrons. To secure access to one of the karaoke rooms for a six-hour duration, customers were required to pay 100,000 baht. This package included the services of DJs and support staff.
At approximately 3am, when the police arrived at the venue, they found 48 Chinese partygoers, consisting of 30 men and 18 women, reveling in four karaoke rooms. The officers confiscated cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, happy water, and drug paraphernalia.
Theerasak disclosed that a significant number of partygoers had tested positive for drugs. The entire group is currently in police custody pending further prosecution. An investigating officer revealed that they would scrutinize the entry documents of each foreigner involved.
Additionally, a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine whether Diamond KTV actively participated in drug distribution or if the visitors were responsible for procuring the drugs themselves.
According to Theerasak, the operation at Diamond KTV resembled the crackdown on the illicit karaoke establishment, Jin Ling, in Bangkok’s Sathon neighbourhood on November 26 last year. During that operation, law enforcement officials apprehended 266 partygoers at Jin Ling, with 237 of them being Chinese nationals.
Out of the 104 individuals who tested positive for drugs, 99 were Chinese nationals. Various types of drugs, including ketamine, nimetazepam, methamphetamine, happy water, and diazepam, were seized during the raid.
