Phuket –
Phuket authorities have launched a sweeping anti-drug operation targeting religious institutions, uncovering a troubling case of drug use among monks at a prominent temple in Cherng Talay .
Officers told the Phuket Express that in a nationally coordinated effort dubbed “No Drugs No Dealers,” officials from the district administration, the Office of Buddhism in Phuket, local police, public health officers, and community leaders conducted a surprise inspection at the temple. The operation included on-site drug testing of all monks residing there.
The results were alarming: three monks tested positive for illegal substances, including one who held the position of assistant abbot. All three were immediately defrocked following the test results.
In addition, three Thai laborers found within the temple grounds also tested positive and were taken in for further questioning.
District official Mr. Chaiporn Yangjeen, who led the operation, expressed the importance of maintaining the sanctity of religious spaces. “Temples must remain places of peace and moral guidance. We cannot allow drug activity to infiltrate these sacred institutions,” he stated.
