A total of 122 clubgoers tested positive for drugs after a raid on a pub in Bangkok's Lat Phrao district early on Sunday.
The 2.20am raid on Sonic Club Bangkok on Praditmanutham Road followed an investigation which found the pub was a hub for drug users and a drug distribution point.
At the time of the raid, 214 customers were inside the pub. They attempted to flee but officers blocked all the exits. One customer was under 20 years of age and seven were not carrying a national ID card.
In urine tests, 122 of them - 76 men and 46 women - were found to have used drugs.
Sonic Club Bangkok was operating without a permit and drug use was rampant inside, a government spokesperson said. During the raid, the authorities found numerous sachets of various kinds of drugs including ecstasy, ketamine and methamphetamine pills scattered on the floor. Happy water, a new kind of drug, was also available in the pub.
The pub owner and those who were involved in its operation were arrested and charged with operating the business without a permit, selling alcoholic drinks to youngsters under 20 years of age, selling alcohol beyond the time limit and allowing use of drugs.
The authorities would recommend closing the pub for five years.
