Pattaya’s ‘happy water’ drug problem under fire

After Pattaya police busted over 20 teenagers using ‘happy water‘ at a party last month, there’s now an increased effort to crack down on the ‘drug’ cocktail. The chief of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau said happy water is usually made by combining ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, caffeine and painkillers, mixed into a curious liquid cocktail with hot water and mixing it with sweetened drinks.

‘Happy water’ reportedly makes people feel euphoric but is a completely uncontrolled and potentially dangerous concoction. The consumers are totally unaware of the actual ingredients.

NSB officers have been on the hunt for 2 Thais and 1 foreigner thought to be selling/trafficking the brew at entertainment venues in Pattaya. They have so far arrested 1 Thai man yesterday, 28 year old Sarayuth Boonmalee, for allegedly colluding in trafficking illicit drugs. Investigators say Sarayuth’s role was to deliver the illicit brew to customers at local nightspots. The NSB chief alleges that Sarayuth has confessed to the charges.

Officers have seized 2 houses, 1 car, 3 motorcycles and other valuables worth over 9 million baht from Sarayuth. He was arrested at Tawaen beach on Koh Lan in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri

In last month’s happy water raid, the party busted was at a luxury villa, also in Bang Lamung district. The Pattaya News reported that the teens were “addicted”.

Happy water, or other versions of it, is popular in China, and is banned there by the country’s Food and Drug Administration. Chinese media reports that Happy Water contains an ingredient that can cause temporary memory loss, nausea, vomit and headache. In extreme cases, it can also kill people.

In 2017, Chinese police arrested 7 people for producing a brand of Happy Water. The FDA then banned it.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post