PATTAYA, THAILAND – An undercover operation in Pattaya ended with arrests after police and health inspectors raided an alleged illegal clinic that was providing medical treatments without licensed doctors.
Undercover sting and the raid
Investigators from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) Region 2 and the Chon Buri health authority had watched the three-storey building on Soi Chaiyapreuk 2 for months. Undercover agents posed as patients and, after they received medication during a visit, signalled the team. Officers forced the door and a specialised unit stormed the premises.
Scenes inside the clinic
Inside, officers found a clinic-like set-up: treatment rooms, infusion stands with an intravenous drip still attached to a patient, shelves of medications and patient files. They recovered antibiotics and other supplies and located a business licence, but they were unable to find any doctor who was registered to practice at the facility.
Arrests and reactions
Three women were detained. The main suspect, identified as Pansanya Udomta, could not produce a medical licence. Her assistant, Worathan Inwanna, 48, was also arrested. The owner, 52-year-old Wariya Khao Songtham, was taken into custody and reacted emotionally at the scene. Wariya told officers she had operated the clinic since January and cited financial pressure, saying the business had been losing about 100,000 baht per month. “Why only us? In Pattaya and Jomtien everyone does this!” she exclaimed.
Prior closure and pending charges
Authorities noted this was not the first intervention at the site: the clinic had been shut down in May when it was previously linked to the same owners, but it had since reopened. The suspects now face multiple allegations under the Medical Facility Establishment Act, including illegal medical practice and operating without a licence. Health officials warned that unlicensed treatments such as injections and blood tests can be life‑threatening.
Wider concerns and next steps
Officials said the case illustrated the combination of profit motive and disregard for patient safety behind some unlicensed operations, and they announced plans to inspect other clinics across Pattaya and neighbouring Jomtien. Investigators urged patients to seek treatment only from licensed facilities and said further legal action was likely as the probe continued.