Cops transferred after venue raid

Five senior police at Chana Songkhram station have been transferred to inactive posts pending an investigation after a special task force raided an unlicensed entertainment venue on Khao San Road and found several alleged violations.

The raid on OK Bar in Phra Nakhon district was conducted about 3.30am on Saturday by a special operations team from the Department of Provincial Administration under the supervision of Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee.

They say the venue occupied the second floor of a two-storey building and featured a large hall with a stage for live music and several customer service areas. Four to six security guards were stationed at the entrance, but customers were not required to show identification or undergo weapons checks before entering.

Officials said the venue was operating without a licence, selling alcohol beyond permitted hours and allowing minors to enter. Thirty underage customers were found inside, the youngest aged 15, while 34 patrons tested positive for drugs.

A firearm and ammunition were also found, along with evidence of suspected drug use and the sale of laughing gas balloons.

Pol Lt Gen Sayam Boonsom, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the venue was located only a few hundred metres from Chana Songkhram station.

He said the transfer was ordered because officers inspected the area at 1am but reported finding nothing unusual, despite the violations later uncovered in the raid.