UPDATE: Rassada venue raided over alleged illegal hookah services; one arrested
A 31 July raid at a Rassada venue followed complaints about hookah and electronic-hookah services; one person was arrested and equipment worth approximately B130,000 was seized.
Phuket provincial officials arrested one person during a raid at a venue in Rassada on Friday, 31 July 2026, after complaints that it was providing hookah and electronic-hookah services, The Phuket News reported. Authorities told the Phuket Express about the raid on 2 August 2026.
Undercover officers reportedly ordered a hookah and obtained a receipt before identifying themselves and conducting a search. The operator was then arrested, and officials said 18 items of contraband were seized, including one container holding 215 grammes of hookah tobacco. The Phuket News reported that the seized equipment was valued at approximately B130,000.
The suspect faces charges under the Customs Act (2017) and the Consumer Protection Act (1979), following Ministry of Commerce regulations classifying hookahs and electronic hookahs as prohibited imports. Thailand’s Consumer Protection Board also prohibits the sale and service of hookah products and e-cigarettes.
The suspect and the seized items were handed over to Phuket City Police Station for prosecution.
