Banglamung, Chonburi —
Officials in Banglamung, Chonburi, launched a crackdown on Kratom drink sales on April 16th, 2024, netting over 2,000 bottles of Kratom juice mixed with cough syrup.
The operation, led by Banglamung District Chief Mr. Weekit Manarojkit, resulted in the arrest of three shop owners, whose names have been withheld by police. The first raid took place at a shop located along a road in Soi Khao Talo. The shop displayed a large sign clearly advertising the sale of Kratom drinks at the front. Officials revealed that this shop had previously been raided by authorities before due to the same allegation.
Upon inspection, officers discovered a large number of Kratom leaves scattered on the floor, and a large cooler filled with ready-to-sell kratom juice at the back of the premises. On the second floor, a room dedicated to brewing and flavoring the 4×100 Kratom drinks was found.
Officials uncovered six large brewing pots and discarded bottles of various brands of cough syrup in garbage bags. As a result, officers confiscated 55 bottles of cough syrup and 812 bottles of Kratom juice.
The second raid occurred at a shop located near the first. Officials found the owner waiting for customers and seized 200 bottles of chilled, ready-to-sell Kratom drinks stored in a cooler.
The third raid took place at another shop along Soi Khao Talo. This shop had also been previously raided and had 1,800 bottles of flavored Kratom and 900 bottles of cough syrup seized at that time. However, the owner continued to operate illegally. Therefore, this time officers confiscated 1,213 bottles of Kratom drinks and a small amount of cannabis flower as evidence.
In total, three shop owners were arrested and taken into custody. The seized Kratom drinks were 2,225 bottles.
Kratom was decriminalized in Thailand in 2022, however, to sell as a mixed liquid needs strict licenses from the Thai FDA which are difficult to obtain. Mixing with cough syrup or other liquid to make Kratom have a stronger effect is still illegal under food and beverage laws.
