12 Chinese drug users and 20 illegal Vietnamese workers arrested in Pattaya club raid
Police raided an entertainment venue in Pattaya yesterday, discovering 12 Chinese nationals who tested positive for drugs and 20 Vietnamese workers without permits.
More than 100 officers from Provincial Police Region 2 raided Space Club Pattaya on Pattaya Sai Sam Road in Bang Lamung district at 2.49am.
Channel 7 reported that this operation differed from previous ones, as officers did not allow journalists to monitor or record the raid as usual. Reporters were ordered to wait outside the venue, raising questions about the transparency of the operation.
Police later told the media that both the workers and partygoers were intoxicated and dancing to loud music when officers arrived. All activities were halted, and people were separated by gender for thorough drug searches.
Another police team investigated vehicles parked outside the venue, but no drugs or illegal items were found and each chauffeur was then allowed to leave the scene.
At around 4.30am, officers escorted 12 Chinese nationals from the venue to Mueang Pattaya Police Station after they tested positive for drugs. The suspects would undergo a second drug test at Pattaya Bhattamakun Hospital to confirm the results.
In addition, 20 Vietnamese women were taken to the Pattaya Immigration Bureau for working illegally at the entertainment venue.
The remaining partygoers and workers, approximately 200 people, most of whom were Chinese nationals and Thai women, were later released according to a report on Chon News 99.
Police gave a brief statement to the media, confirming that multiple packets of ketamine were found on the ground and seized as evidence.
Officers added that the venue was operating without a licence and that its owner would face legal consequences. The identity of the venue’s owner has not been disclosed.
However, the ban on journalists inside the venue during the operation prompted several media outlets to demand clarification regarding the transparency of the raid. As of now, neither the police nor the relevant government departments have responded.
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