Police have arrested Laksina
Saensainaet, Ratree Phatmod, and Aphisra Suwaradee for illegally selling
nitrous oxide on Walking Street.
Teerarak Suthathiwong
Police weren’t laughing when they discovered three women selling
balloons filled with nitrous oxide on Walking Street.
Laksina Saensainaet, 17, Ratree Phatmod, 19, and Aphisra Suwaradee, 42,
were taken into custody after-midnight Aug. 21, with the two teens
working outside the Candy Shop and Lucifer discos, and Aphisra manning a
booth further down the nightlife strip.
Police seized two balloons filled with the so-called “laughing gas” and
70 unfilled balloons.
Aphisra told police she managed the “Funny Air” balloon shop for an
unnamed Russian businessman. Each balloon sold for 120 baht with buyers
encouraged to open it and breath in the nitrous oxide, the same gas used
by dentists as an anesthetic. Users get light-headed, feel euphoric and
laugh a lot.
It’s also a regulated compound in Thailand and illegal to sell to
consumers. The three women claimed they were unaware of the prohibition.
The three suspects were charged with selling an illegal substance while
Aphisra was additionally charged with employing an underage worker.
