Police raid bar on Khao San Road with drugs and dozens of underage revellers
Police raided a bar that was allegedly paying bribes for local cops to turn a blind eye to drugs and underage revellers in Thailand.
The youngsters were drinking alcohol and dancing when officers stormed the neon-lit OK Bar on party street Kaho San Road in Bangkok in the early hours of October 10.
Undercover cops from a more senior department in central government had earlier entered the venue and found that security guards had failed to check for IDs or search customers for weapons.
Patrons were reportedly using illegal drugs and inhaling laughing gas in the toilets, where rubbish bins were filled with suspected drug paraphernalia and the floor strewn with a white powder believed to be narcotics.
Several suspected minors were reportedly seen ordering alcoholic drinks before cops swept into the venue at 3:30 am local time.
Footage shows cops raiding the premises, where they found revellers partying on the dance floor as DJs blasted loud music.
Police said 30 guests under 20 years old were detained, including a 15-year-old.
Officers also seized a firearm and ammunition, a replica gun and suspected drugs scattered around the premises. Balloons containing nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, were allegedly being sold to customers.
Urine tests found 31 people had drugs in their systems, including four underage patrons and two DJs working at the venue.
Investigators checked the bar's financial records and allegedly discovered monthly bribes of more than 170,000 baht a month transferred to police officers from the local station and other council agencies to turn a blind eye to its operations.
Authorities said the bar had been ordered closed in August over fire, health and safety hazards, but it defied the closure and remained open.
The manager was taken into custody and charged with operating an entertainment venue without a permit, selling alcoholic beverages beyond legal hours, selling alcohol to people under 20, encouraging children to behave inappropriately, organising promotional campaigns for alcoholic beverages; using gas for improper purposes, importing food for distribution without a permit; and selling modern medicines without a permit.
The Department of Provincial Administration said it will notify the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau to issue an order closing the bar for five years.
Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee said: ‘We have separated customers who tested positive for drugs and collected the seized narcotics for further action under the Narcotics Code and relevant laws.
‘We are also conducting further investigations to trace the origin of the drugs, their suppliers and other parties involved.'
The raid comes months after a gunman allegedly opened fire at the same bar in January, injuring a bar employee and a customer.
The shooting reportedly erupted during a confrontation between two groups who had met to settle an online feud, sparking a violent row on the popular tourist strip.
