BANGKOK — 29 August 2026, Thailand’s Interior Ministry led a late-night raid on a Chinese-linked Huai Khwang club allegedly operating without a license and despite having been ordered to close last year, finding drugs and three people who tested positive for narcotics.
At 01:40, Deputy Interior Minister Phonphir Suwannachwee and Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasert joined Ronnarong Thipsiri, director of the Department of Provincial Administration’s law enforcement operations center, in leading the DOPA S.W.A.T. special operations team.
The operation, dubbed “Singha Subdues the Dark Dragon,” was conducted with officers from Huai Khwang Police Station at 577 CLUB after authorities received information that the venue was operating until early morning and had no entertainment venue license.
Officers entered the club and found it operating normally, with a large number of customers drinking alcohol and smoking e-cigarettes.
Officials ordered the music stopped and the lights turned on before separating the customers and conducting urine tests for drugs.
A total of 132 customers were checked, 65 Thai nationals and 67 Chinese nationals.
Three people tested positive for drugs: one Thai man, one Hong Kong woman and one Hong Kong man. They were detained for legal proceedings.
A detailed search also uncovered two bags of ketamine. One was hidden in the women’s restroom on the ground floor with a straw for drug use, while another was found on a customer’s table. Both were seized as evidence.
Phonphir said the raid followed complaints that the venue, which had been raided last year, had resumed operations.
Further investigation suggested that the business was Chinese-owned or linked to Chinese operators, he said. The venue’s cashier system used a Chinese application, while Chinese staff worked as MCs, entertaining customers and resolving problems such as broken glasses.
Authorities also found what officials described as a significant number of foreign workers at the venue.
“What is disappointing is that this place should not have been allowed to reopen,” Phonphir said, citing the drugs, e-cigarettes, foreign workers and other findings.
He also raised questions about a man identified only as “Joe,” whom the person presenting himself as the club’s owner, named Chat, allegedly described as a police officer with a stake in the business.
Phonphir said he did not know who Joe was and asked the Huai Khwang police chief to investigate his identity and alleged role in helping the club continue operating despite the previous closure order.
The deputy minister said the venue clearly appeared to be operating without an entertainment license and questioned whether it had obtained the necessary construction permits.
Worasit said he would investigate additional issues involving permits, foreign workers and the venue’s financial accounts.
He said the fact that the club had been ordered to close but had reopened was unacceptable.
The operation was part of the Department of Provincial Administration’s campaign to regulate nightlife and maintain public order. DOPA S.W.A.T. had conducted an investigation before the raid, with Worasit joining the operation to see the reported problems firsthand.
Phonphir said the government was stepping up action against what it described as “gray businesses,” including operations that exploit Thai people or send income overseas.
He urged relevant officials to act whenever they find violations.
“If something is wrong, it is wrong. Everyone has a duty to the country, so do your duty,” Phonphir said.