Bangkok police raid venue for Shisha, warn more raids incoming for the banned pipes

Police have raided a Sukhumvit Road pub in Bangkok and seized a huge number of hookahs (smoking apparatus) this week.

The raid of the entertainment venue was carried out in collaboration with a special investigation team from the Thonglor Police Station. The results of the raid were announced by Pol Maj-General Prasit Chaloemwutthisak, secretary-general of The Consumer Protection Board.

“We received a tip-off that a pub in the Sukhumvit area provided ready-to-use barakus or hookahs to foreign tourists and local customers.”

“After inspecting the establishment, police found 26 hookah stations being used by customers, and 34 more in the storage area. Police also found a large number of baraku solutions and smoking equipment.”

According to the secretary-general, preliminary inspection revealed that the establishment made more than 100,000 baht per night from the baraku service alone. The establishment’s manager was taken to Thonglor Police Station for processing.

Pol Maj-General Prasit said that selling or providing barakus, electronic cigarettes, vaping and their liquids is a violation of the Consumer Protection Board’s Order No 9/2015.

“Violators face a maximum of three years’ jail time or 600,000 baht fine, or both.”

Police warned more raids were incoming and reminded business owners that shisha is strictly against Thai Law. The official reason for Shisha being banned according to the consumer protection board is out of concern for it’s negative health effects. Critics, however, claim it’s about money and not to protect public health.

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/