Koh phangan: Tourist police on Koh Phangan, Surat Thani Province, raided a kratom production site near a school, generating over 10,000 baht in daily revenue. Tourist police on Koh Phangan inspected a suspicious shop located near Koh Phangan Suksa School after receiving a tip from locals that kratom and cough syrup were being illegally sold to local teenagers.
According to Thai News Agency, two Myanmar workers were found, Ms. Thanda, 27, and Ms. Myat, 31, boiling and packing kratom leaves into plastic bags for sale. In the back of the shop, a large amount of evidence was also found, including a gas stove, a large gas tank, a 70-liter boiler, over 192 liters of processed kratom water, and 23 kilograms of fresh kratom leaves. The two young women workers informed the police that the shop was owned by Mr. Wutthichai, a Thai national.
Police then contacted Mr. Wutthichai, the shop owner, to meet him at the shop. Upon arrival, Mr. Wutthichai confessed that he was the manufacturer and distributor of kratom water and cough syrup hidden inside the shop to Thai teenagers and foreign tourists who bought a large quantity for consumption, earning him a daily income of over 10,000 baht. The shop is located just 550 meters from a school, but Mr. Wutthichai vehemently denied selling kratom water to students, and the officers were not convinced.
Authorities have charged Mr. Wutthichai with selling and processing kratom without a permit, selling cough syrup without a permit, and employing illegal foreign workers. The two Myanmar workers were charged with 1. Ms. Thanda with "being an alien working without a work permit," and Ms. Myat with "being an alien working outside of her right to do so." All suspects were taken to Koh Phangan Police Station for legal proceedings.