PATTAYA, THAILAND – Police in the coastal city on 11 November raided a residential property in Soi Sukhumvit 42/2 after tracing a series of explicit stickers to an online business trading in banned products.
Joint task force tracks illegal campaign
Authorities from the Pattaya Police Station, the Banglamung District Office, and the Chonburi Immigration Bureau conducted a coordinated operation following weeks of complaints from residents and business owners along Sukhumvit Road. Reports described hundreds of stickers promoting a website called “Pattaya Poppers” offering stimulants, condoms, and sex toys.
Police officers acting under Pol. Lt. Col. Arut Saphanont, Deputy Chief Investigator, stated that public complaints accumulated over several weeks before the operation. Officials recorded damage to Pattaya’s tourism reputation as the advertisements spread on walls, poles, and municipal structures.
Controlled purchase leads to arrests
At 22:36 on 11 November, a controlled test purchase was executed by undercover officers. An investigator bought two bottles of Poppers for 750 baht each, prompting immediate arrest of the suspected sellers.
The suspects — identified as Sunthorn, 40, of Thailand, and Mr. Gary, a British national — were detained and taken to a rented property used as a storage site. Inside, investigators catalogued a significant stockpile of illicit goods:
• 110 sex toys
• 180 bottles of Poppers
• 36 packs of erection pills
• 35 pieces of drug paraphernalia
• 11.2 grams of banned narcotics
Suspects confess online activity
Both men admitted running the Pattaya Poppers website for approximately twelve months and said they began the sticker campaign six months ago to address revenue losses during an economic slowdown. They sourced supplies from foreign websites and targeted mainly foreign customers within the Pattaya area.
Multiple charges under Thai law
Officers confirmed that seized Poppers, sold as “leather cleaners,” contained alkyl nitrites, which produce short-term intoxication when inhaled and are classified as controlled substances in Thailand. Investigators prepared charges for violations including:
• Sale of unregistered medical products
• Trafficking in controlled substances
• Possession of illegal drugs
All materials were transferred to the Pattaya Police Headquarters, where prosecutors prepared formal indictments.
City vows tougher enforcement
The Pattaya authorities announced ongoing investigations into potential associates and suppliers linked to the illegal website. Officials from the Banglamung District Administration and Chonburi Immigration said they would increase inspections for unlawful online promotions targeting tourists.
“Pattaya lives on the trust of its visitors,”
“We must ensure that this trust is not eroded by such activities.”
said a Police Spokesperson, Pattaya Police Station.
Legal warnings released by the Thai Ministry of Public Health reaffirmed that sex toys, Poppers, and unregistered medicines remain prohibited nationwide. Violations can result in imprisonment under current Thai law.