Latest Patong drug crackdown finds staffers all testing negative

The latest Patong drug crackdown on Bangla Road found that all staffers tested negative for drug use. The most recent round of drug tests on the popular nightlife hotspot road was conducted on Tuesday night.

A team from the Kathu district conducted the “random” tests on 85 staffers, including 35 men and 50 women. According to Patong Police Chief Colonel Sujin Nilbodee, none of the staffers tested positive for drugs.

Chief Sujin told The Phuket Express the crackdown was part of the ‘X-Ray’ campaign. Police have been carrying out this campaign since last month, which aims to “suppress illegal drug usage and sales,” according to police.

A report on the latest crackdown said they were targeting people who work in “occupations that are characterised as high risk.” The report said that such people must not be on drugs according to government policies.

Since the crackdown started, a few naughty staffers have tested positive for drugs.

On November 15, a team targeted touts working on the road who are registered as living in Kathu. The team tested 117 people out of the 195 on its list. Out of the 62 males who were tested, two tested positive. The two positive cases were offered a chance to enrol in a drug rehabilitation programme, according to the report. The report said that out of the 55 females tested, none tested positive for drugs.

The November 15 testing was carried out just a day after Patong Police set up two checkpoints at both ends of Bangla Road. Police checked people for weapons, and illegal drugs and whether some of those suspects were on their wanted list.

Earlier in November, police conducted a major drug testing crackdown on five venues. Patong Police drug tested nearly 184 staffers, and one tested positive.

Will Patong Police and officials be able to catch every entertainment staffer on drugs? We’ll see.