Thais, foreigners, shisha pipes held in Nana raid

Thais, foreigners, shisha pipes held in Nana raid

Unidentified tourists smoke shisha tobacco from a waterpipe at a restaurant in Soi Nana area. (File photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)
Unidentified tourists smoke shisha tobacco from a waterpipe at a restaurant in Soi Nana area. (File photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)

Fourteen people tested positive for drug use and 62 shisha pipes were seized during a raid on an entertainment venue on Soi 3 in Bangkok's Nana area early Friday morning.

A 100-strong police and military force raided the six-storey Royal Building near the entrance to Soi Sukhumvit 3 (Soi Nana Nua) following reports that premises there remained open long beyond licensed operating hours. 

An Ethiopian restaurant occupies the third and fifth floors. The third floor is a pub and the fifth floor is a dancing bar and restaurant. The second and fourth floors of the building offer traditional massage.

There were 55 Thai and foreign customers at a pub on the third floor. Twelve of them, eight Thai women and four South African nationals, tested positive for methamphetamne use.  Fifteen foreign customers, including an American and one Polish national, were found to have no entry documents.

On the fifth floor, 10 Thai and foreign customers were found at an Arabian-style restaurant and bar, of whom a Thai woman and a Thai man tested positive for methamphetamine use.  

Officers searched the building and found 51 shisha pipes on the roof-deck and another 11 on the third floor. 

Pol Maj Gen ThanongsakThangthong, chief of narcotics suppression division 1, said police had learned the venues were operating all night, outside legal hours, to serve South African nationals and usually did not close until around noon.

The pub and restaurant were run by two Ethiopian nationals, who were not present during the raid.  All 65 pub-goers were taken to Lumpini police station.

One of the two Ethiopian owners was identified in media reports as Mekuriya Hailegebrel, 32. The other, identified only as Johnny, the reports said.


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