Illegal laughing gas factory busted in Bangkok

Bangkok police have shut down a Chinese-run factory in Prawet district that illegally produced and sold nitrous oxide, a mild anaesthetic also known as laughing gas and often used as a party drug. Twelve people were arrested during Sunday's raid, including two Chinese principals, identified only as Peng, 29, and Xiang, 36. The factory was on Soi Chalermprakiat Rama IX 28, according to the Metropolitan Police Bureau. The 10 other suspects were workers from Myanmar. Reports said another Chinese suspect remained at large, and he was responsible for managing clients' orders. Police seized 1,652 small ready-for-sale cylinders containing nitrous oxide. The containers were filled to order and delivered to entertainment venues across the country - on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani, Phuket, Hat Yai in Songkhla and Bangkok, police said. They cost 1,000 baht per litre. (continues below) Some of the small cylinders of laughing gas seized at the illegal factory run by Chinese nationals in Prawet district of Bangkok. Customers would use the cylinders to inflate balloons, which would then be used by nightspot patrons. Nitrous oxide is used as a sedative in healthcare, helping patients relax during medical procedures such as dentistry. Illegally, it is used for recreational purposes, making people giggly and changing the pitch of their voice, often to the point of hilarity. At the factory, there were also 4,200 empty cylinders, N2O gas tanks, filling machines, pressure calibration equipment and two 36-tonne gas tankers. Authorities estimated the value of the seized items at 50 million baht.