Thai celebrity police doctor arrested after allegedly trafficking date rape drugs

A doctor at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, has been arrested for illegally trafficking date rape drugs.

Anchulee Theerawongpaisal, also known as "Dr. Air," is a well-known celebrity police doctor with over 311,000 followers on Facebook.

She is accused of using her medical credentials to obtain tens of thousands of alprazolam pills and other psychotropic substances from the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Authorities allege she used the names of 12 clinics to facilitate these purchases, reported Khaosod English and Thaiger.

Arrested after FDA noticed irregularities

Anchulee was apprehended at her police residence in Bangkok on Jun. 10.

Six other suspects were also arrested in connection with the case.

FDA officials reportedly noticed "unusual purchasing patterns" for Flunitrazepam, a prescription sleep aid that requires doctor authorisation.

The drug is known to be used in cases of sexual assault to sedate victims.

Anchulee was found to have ordered large quantities of the medication, using the names of 12 Bangkok-based clinics.

“When the FDA reported these irregularities to police, we launched an investigation and discovered Dr. Air and her associates were storing these drugs in private rooms with guards before distributing them to network members across different areas,” said Police Major General Nopasit Mitrapakdee, Commander of the Narcotics Suppression Division 1.

Financial trail

Records show Anchulee’s drug purchases increased exponentially from 2022 to 2025.

She ordered about 1 million baht (S$39,521) worth of drugs in 2022, which rose to approximately 11 million baht (S$434,738) in 2024.

In 2025 alone, she had already placed orders worth between 7 to 8 million baht (S$276,667 to S$316,191) using the names of 12 clinics.

A financial investigation revealed around 80 million baht (S$3,161,956) in transaction flows connected to the trafficking operation.

Used names of dead people

Deputy Health Minister Thanakrit Jitareerat told local media that Anchulee had used the names of 370 deceased individuals — some dating back to 1998 — to fraudulently obtain drugs.

Authorities seized 170,400 pills of various controlled substances, including Alprazolam, Zolpidem tartrate, Flunitrazepam, Clonazepam, and Clorazepate.

All suspects face charges of conspiracy to distribute Category 2 controlled substances without authorisation for commercial purposes, and conspiracy to commit serious drug-related offences.

Previous controversies

This is not the first time Anchulee has made headlines.

In 2019, she drew criticism after encouraging mothers to give birth in the United States to obtain American citizenship for their children.

She was also involved in a defamation case in 2017 involving a high-society woman.

Anchulee previously served as a deputy spokesperson for the National Police Office, where she handled public relations and provided information about police operations.

She also owned The Air Clinic, a dermatology clinic offering health and personality consultations.

Local authorities are now seeking to dismiss Anchulee from government service and are considering disciplinary action.

Top photos from Dr. Air/Facebook