A police operation on this holiday island has resulted in a large number of katoey (ladyboys) testing positive for methamphetamines.

Officers swept Patong’s red light district and detained 40 katoeys, requiring them to take drug tests. Seventeen tested positive, but due to a lack of forensic facilities they were released pending the confirmation of the result from a mainland forensic center in about one month.

Police said that earlier, another 5 people had also shown positive results. Testing is most commonly done by urine sampling, but the results have to be confirmed by full-scale testing at a police forensic center in Surat Thani province.

Methamphetamines, also referred to as “ice” and “meth”, is a popular and widely used drug in Thailand and which police have had little success in combating. The drug can cause severe long term mental and physical problems in users.