A Buddhist monk was defrocked for alleged drug use as authorities cracked down on rogue temples in Thailand.

The suspect tested positive for methamphetamine during surprise drug examinations on 21 monks at the Wat Hiranyaram temple in Phichit on August 6.

Police also found four meth pills and drug paraphernalia in his room.

The man allegedly admitted he was a former drug addict and gangster before being ordained. He claimed to have quit until a friend from the same gang who owed him paid him with meth pills instead.

The temple abbott disrobed the monk, who was detained for rehabilitation.

Phichit Governor Thaneeya Naipinit said the operation was part of a campaign targetting drug suspects and distributors in villages and communities.

Just a day earlier, four other Buddhist monks in the same province were kicked out of their temples after testing positive for meth.

Thai authorities found that hundreds of fugitives were living as Buddhist monks to avoid arrest.

The suspects allegedly sought safe haven in temples, shaving their heads and supposedly living ascetic lifestyles, as they evaded police detection.

An estimated 93.4 per cent of the Thai population is Buddhist, with some 45,000 temples across Thailand, according to the National Office of Buddhism.

However, 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 in July.

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.