A third of Buddhist monks tested positive for meth during a surprise raid at a temple in northern Thailand.

Six of 18 clergymen were kicked out of the monkhood after failing drug tests at the Wat Prathom temple in Phichit Province on Monday.

Thirty cops stormed the place of worship as the monks were observing the annual Buddhist 'Rains Retreat'. They found meth pills hidden in the monks' quarters, as well as numerous drug consumption paraphernalia, a homemade gun, and a number of bullets.

Deputy Phichit Governor Kitipon Wetchakul who led the raid said: 'The six monks found positive for drugs were immediately disrobed and sent for rehabilitation. The operation was carried out simultaneously in various temples across 12 districts of the province.'

Public trust in the country's Buddhist order has eroded after a string of high-ranking monks were caught in a femme fatale seduction scandal this month.

The religious leaders allegedly funneled temple funds to a woman named Wirawan Emsawat, also known as Sika Golf, 35, who allegedly seduced them to gain access to the money, which she reportedly used for her gambling habit.

She was said to have stolen a staggering 385 million baht (8.9 million GBP) from temple coffers before being arrested at her luxury home in Bangkok on July 15.

She faces charges of money laundering, supporting a monk's embezzlement of temple funds, and receiving stolen goods.

The clergy scandal came to light while police were investigating the disappearance of a monk named Arch, who suddenly went missing from the Wat Tri Thotsathep temple in the capital. Authorities suspected he was involved in fraud or love affairs before learning he had a relationship with Wirawan.

A sweep of the woman's house on July 4 found a staggering 80,000 pornographic files stored in five mobile phones showing Wirawan in explicit acts with top-ranking monks and politicians.

Wirawan allegedly admitted she had been coercing or blackmailing the men for money, and had children with some of them.

The Sangha Supreme Council, the highest governing Buddhist body in Thailand, said monastic regulations were being reviewed to create more modern sanctions.

Ittiporn Chan-iam, director of the National Office of Buddhism, added his office was proposing jail terms of up to seven years and a fine of up to 140,000 baht (3,200 GBP) for monks expelled from the order over serious monastic violations.

The same penalties would apply to laypeople who knowingly engage in sexual acts with Buddhist monks.

Buddhist monks take a vow of celibacy to detach themselves from worldly desires, which are seen as obstacles to spiritual enlightenment. However, the Thai clergy have faced numerous sex and corruption scandals over the years, undermining public trust in the religious establishment.