Chon Buri monk caught with drugs after positive urine test
Locals' reports lead to arrest of a monk for meth use inside temple accommodation
A monk in Chon Buri was defrocked and taken into custody after testing positive for drugs and admitting to using methamphetamine inside his temple accommodation.
Today, May 19, officers from Huai Yai Police Station, led by Police Colonel Attapol Itthyophatsakul, along with the station’s investigation team, raided a temple in Khao Mai Kaew subdistrict, Bang Lamung district.
The raid followed reports from concerned locals who suspected a monk of drug use and feared it could endanger others and tarnish the image of Buddhism.
The 44 year old suspect, identified only as Phra Chok, had been ordained for seven years and had recently moved to the temple less than a year ago. He was found alone in his room, where officers presented a warrant and requested a drug test.
Phra Chok confessed to consuming two methamphetamine pills within the past three days. A search of his room revealed drug paraphernalia, including zip-lock bags, glass tubes, and plastic straws placed in a water bowl, none of which had been hidden.
Officers conducted an on-site urine test, which returned a positive result, turning purple, a common indicator of methamphetamine use. The monk told police that a drug dealer had delivered the substances to him at the temple. He also admitted that friends had visited him to use drugs together inside his room.
Phra Chok said he deeply regretted his actions, especially after having spent seven years in the monkhood.
Police escorted him to the temple abbot to undergo a defrocking ceremony before transferring him to Huai Yai Police Station for formal prosecution, reported KhaoSod.
In a separate crime story involving a monk, a scandal involving an abbot accused of using 300 million baht in temple funds for online gambling has led to an arrest in Pattaya.
Yesterday, police raided a condo and apprehended a 28 year old woman alleged to be a broker in the operation. She is accused of receiving money from the abbot and converting it into online gambling credits.
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