Raids on shops selling laughing gas on Khao San Road

Nineteen migrant workers were arrested for selling laughing gas-filled balloons to tourists during a police raid on entertainment venues and shops on Khao San Road in Bangkok.

However, police said the migrants were not the only culprits, and were used by their bosses to sell the balloons to avoid legal action against their shops.

A combined team of officers from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) and the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) randomly raided entertainment venues, eateries and shops on the street popular with young tourists on Thursday night.

The main target of the operation was the Sky999 pub, where laughing gas-filled balloons were sold.

During the operation, police arrested 19 migrant workers — 16 Myanmar nationals, two Cambodians and one Lao — for violating Section 12 of the Drug Act regarding production of drugs without permission. They were also charged with immigration offences: illegal entry, working without permits or working in other types of jobs than those allowed.

The officers seized a balloon containing nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or happy gas, a placard advertising sales of laughing-gas balloons, 18 used tubes of nitrous oxide, 2,730 new balloons and other items.

Laughing gas-filled balloons were found at other shops that had been raided in February, said Pol Col Surapong Chatsut, the ATPD deputy commander. Most of the sales were to young people and tourists, he said.

After the earlier raid, shop operators adopted a new tactic by using employees who were migrants to sell the balloons to tourists. The operators claimed their shops had nothing to do with the sales, said Pol Col Surapong.

However, such actions went against the law and the operators must be held responsible, he added.