Police Raid Kratom Drink Shop Offering Loyalty Scheme

Picture courtesy of ThaiRath.

Police in Hat Yai have raided an illegal kratom drink operation which was marketing its products with a loyalty card scheme offering “buy 10 bottles, get one free.”

The raid was carried out by anti-narcotics officers from Hat Yai Police Station, working with Border Patrol Police Unit 437, under the direction of Pol Col Thammarat Phetnongchum and Pol Lt Col Baramet Yoddaeng.

At a rented house in Soi 6/1, Khukrit Road, Khlong Hae sub-district, a community known as a red zone for drug trafficking, officers arrested the operator, 32-year-old Adisorn Senthanu, known as “Nook.”

Inside, police discovered freshly brewed kratom tea still simmering on a gas stove, along with bottled and bagged quantities stored on ice ready for sale. In total, 138 litres of kratom tea, 22 bottles of cough syrup, seven packs of foreign cigarettes and 22,430 baht in cash were seized, together with brewing equipment including gas cylinders, pots, strainers and containers.

Investigators revealed the producers had been running a promotional scheme with stamp cards for repeat customers. Adisorn was also identified as the husband of 25-year-old Suttikan “Karn” Chanthong, a dealer previously arrested in the same area for concealing methamphetamine and crystal meth in her bra.

Police said the case highlighted how kratom, though legal under regulation in Thailand, continues to be linked with the wider illicit drug trade when processed and sold illegally.

In a related incident, police arrested a 25-year-old woman after discovering she had hidden bags of crystal methamphetamine and methamphetamine pills inside her bra while attending a concert.

The suspect, identified as Suttikan “Karn” Chanthong, was visiting to see a concert at a Hat Yai nightclub. While there, she took the opportunity to deliver drugs to customers in the Saphan Dam community on the outskirts of the city.

A joint task force from Hat Yai Police Station and Border Patrol Police Company 437 launched the raid, led by Pol Col Thammarat Phetnongchum and senior officers. Officers observed the woman standing outside a local grocery shop when a bag of crystal meth, or “ice,” slipped from her belongings as she reached for money.

She was taken inside for a body search by female officers, who found the drugs concealed in her underwear. On the right side of her bra were 11 small bags of crystal meth weighing 9.5 grams, while on the left were 61 methamphetamine tablets.

During questioning, she admitted selling drugs for nearly a year. She told police that meth pills were sold at three for 100 baht, while ice was sold at 100 baht per gram. She said she had brought the drugs along as she planned to meet customers at the community after the concert.

She now faces charges of possession and intent to distribute Category 1 narcotics

  Adapted by Asean Now from ThaiRath 2025-09-08