Chanthaburi: Authorities raided a durian packing plant in Tha Mai District, Chanthaburi Province, and arrested seven workers for drug use.

According to Thai News Agency, officers from the Tha Mai District 5 Volunteer Defense Corps, along with a special operations team from the Tha Mai District Administration, conducted the raid following complaints from villagers who claimed the plant had become a drug den.

Authorities deployed officers to apprehend male workers sorting durian, some at rest areas, and conducted a thorough search of the packing facility. They discovered a quantity of narcotics packaged in clear plastic bags concealed on the workers' persons, along with lighters and packaging materials used to evade detection. Initially, seven male workers were arrested and taken for urine tests to confirm drug use.

One of the workers said they used drugs to increase their energy and alertness, or "high," so they could stand and sort durians continuously all night during the peak harvest season. Furthermore, some had a history of drug use before starting work. Officials detained the suspects, recorded their information, and conducted further investigations at the Tha Mai District Office before handing them over to the Tha Mai Police Station for legal proceedings.

While Tha Mai district authorities are continuously conducting random inspections of durian packing houses in the area to expand their crackdown on drug trafficking rings that have infiltrated the agricultural workforce, they are warning business owners to strictly monitor their workers to prevent durian packing houses from becoming hubs for illicit activities.