CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND – Police raided the 90’s Bar & Restaurant at 1:30 am and found 39 guests under 20 and 32 with positive drug tests.
Officers checked 194 people in total. The manager now faces criminal charges, and authorities have proposed shutting the venue for five years.
39 minors and 32 positive drug tests
Of the 39 guests under 20, 14 were men and 25 were women. Three visitors were just 16 and 15 years old.
32 people tested positive for drugs. Seven of them were under 20 – three men and four women.
In the toilet area, officers found a plastic straw used to store drugs and white powder. Drugs were also left on the floor. All items will be checked under standard procedure.
Raid at 1:30 am in a two-story venue
Operation Barami Sothon was led by Deputy Interior Minister Pholphee Suwanchawi. Special administrative forces hit the 90’s Bar & Restaurant on Songchai Charoensap Market at Thep-Khunakon Road in Nai Mueang subdistrict.
The venue is a two-story building with a large hall, music stage, several service areas, and six VIP rooms upstairs. It offered food, drinks, alcohol, music, performances, and dancing.
Alcohol sales after midnight documented
An informant ordered alcoholic drinks at 12:32 am and paid via banking app. The money went to the owner’s account. Officers recorded the order on video as evidence.
Investigators said the bar stayed open past legal hours and kept selling alcohol. They found no permit to operate as an entertainment venue in the system.
No ID checks at the entrance
Around four to six security guards stood at the door. But they did not check IDs or search for weapons, according to the officers.
The VIP rooms could still be used after the lower area closed. Some guests kept coming out of the same toilet, so plainclothes officers watched and recorded what was happening.
Seven charges against the manager
Authorities accused the manager of running the bar without an entertainment licence, selling alcohol outside permitted hours, and serving drinks to people under 20. They also charged him with encouraging inappropriate behaviour by minors and illegal alcohol advertising.
Additional charges included operating a food venue without a permit and making unauthorised structural changes. The manager was handed over to investigators for criminal proceedings.
Five-year closure proposed
Officials classified the business as an entertainment venue because of the food, drinks, alcohol, music, and dancing. They cited laws on entertainment venues, alcohol control, child protection, public health, and building control.
Because drugs were allegedly tolerated, the case will also be reviewed under Order No. 22/2558 of the National Council for Peace and Order. The governor of Chachoengsao has been asked to shut the bar for five years.