More than 100 people were arrested at a drug party (Thonglor Police Station on Facebook)
More than 100 people were arrested in Bangkok following a police raid on an allegedly drug-fuelled underwear party, according to local news reports.
Police colonel Pansa Amarapitak said officers had been tipped off about a “drug party” in a room on the 20th floor of the luxurious S31 Sukhumvit Hotel, in Thailand’s capital on Sunday evening (8 December).
About 120 people, mainly gay men, were in their underwear, drinking alcohol and listening to music, he added.
Thirty people, who were alleged to have been in possession of drugs such crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy and ketamine, and the more than 60 who were said to have tested positive for having taken the substances, were arrested. The others were released.
Photographs shared by the police on social media show officers examining packets of drugs, with a large group of men sitting on the floor, dressed only in their underwear.
Conviction for possession of drugs in Thailand can lead to long prison sentences, or even the death penalty for large quantities of Class A drugs such as heroin.
In May, a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed a record 190 tons of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023.
“The drug trafficking and production situation has become increasingly complex,” UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Masood Karimipour said at the time.
“Organised crime groups are lowering the production costs and scaling up production by using non-controlled chemicals.”
The arrests follow reports that the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage in Thailand is set to generate $2 billion (£1.58 billion) for the Asian nation through increased LGBTQ+ tourism.
Thailand will become the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise same-sex marriages when they become legal from 22 January 2025; travel platform Agoda say the landmark decision is set to generate about $2 billion in revenue through “rainbow tourism.”
The law will reportedly also create 152,000 full-time jobs and lift the nation’s gross domestic product by 0.3 per cent.
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