Police Raid Illegal Chinese Gambling Den Operating from Luxury Hotel
Police raided a luxury hotel in Nonthaburi on July 26, discovering an illegal Chinese gambling and drug operation serving over 40 foreign nationals, leading to four arrests and seizure of narcotics, gambling equipment, and cash.
On July 26, 2025, Deputy Police General Natthasak Chaunasai and Police General Pattanasak Bupphasuwan ordered a raid on a hotel in Bang Khen subdistrict, Muang district, Nonthaburi province, suspected of harboring an underground Chinese criminal network. Over 100 officers executed a court-issued search warrant and cordoned off the premises.
Inside the hotel, police found approximately 40 residents, mostly Chinese nationals, Shan people, and Myanmar nationals. Officers seized over 200 items including ketamine and happy water drugs, drug-packaging equipment, gambling apparatus such as chips, cards, dice, baccarat boards, and hi-lo devices, as well as cash, bank accounts, ATM cards, phones, and CCTV footage. One 33-year-old Chinese man was arrested on charges of distributing Category 2 narcotics with intent to distribute for commercial purposes. Three Myanmar nationals, aged 24–31, were arrested for illegal entry and unauthorized residence.
The initial investigation revealed the hotel operated under abnormally tight security. Access required electronic key cards and personal escorts through restricted stairwells to the 7th and 8th floors, where even cleaning staff were forbidden entry. The Chinese network had rented the entire hotel exclusively for Chinese customers, converting floors 2–6 into accommodation and floors 7–8 into a casino and drug-party venue. The operation offered comprehensive services including lodging, gambling, narcotics, and sexual services, with staff mostly Chinese nationals ensuring territorial control and exclusivity.
Police records showed that in 2566, immigration officers had previously raided this same hotel and arrested 26 Chinese gamblers and 23 Thai nationals while seizing gambling tables and equipment. The hotel had closed for renovation and subsequently reopened under heightened security protocols.
Under interrogation, the Chinese suspect claimed to be merely a hotel manager tasked with delivering drugs to customers on order, with narcotics stored in guest rooms and cash delivered upon request. He denied ownership of the ketamine and 110,000 baht found in a safe. The three Myanmar suspects confessed to illegally entering Thailand to work in construction. Police have transferred all suspects and evidence to Bang Ratchathewi Station and are pursuing additional conspirators.
