The raid on the premises in an area of Village 5 where the kratom juice was being produced was made at approxmately 1pm on Wednesday (Apr 24), officials confirmed.
On raiding the premises officers discovered a significant amount of kratom juice that was in the process of being boiled – police confirmed there was approximately 193,000 milliletres of the juice that had been stored in cooled containers and a further 20,000 milliletres in a pot being cooked.
There were 2,467 clear plastic bottles with lids nearby that officers stated were to be filled with the illegal juice before being sold to teenagers in the area as well and extensive equipment used to manufacture the juice and 16 bottles of cough medicine, which is typically used to mix into the formula.
Furthermore, police confirmed they discovered additional stolen goods and two fake copy bank notes of B100 denomination.
According to Phuket Provincial Defense Officer Akara Suwatthikul, the raid had been ordered by Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat who was responding to complaints that had been made by local residents in regards to the illegal operation. Governor Sophon duely assigned relevant officials from the O.S.A. under the Roi Phuket Provincial Police Station Headquarters to strategise and undertake the raid.
Police confirmed the unnamed 21-year-old man was taken to Thalang police station where he will face the following charges:
- Producing and selling a prohibited product (kratom juice) which is in violation of the Ministry of Public Health law (No. 430) B.E. 2021 issued in accordance with Section 50 of the Food Act B.E. 2522 which stipulates specific foods that are prohibited from being produced, imported, or sold within Thailand.
- Selling herbal products produced from kratom plants without registering the formula or declaring the herbal product according to the Herbal Products Act 2019, Section 58(4) and Section 106.