Cyber police bust online gun-selling network in Thailand

Cyber police executed raids at four locations across three provinces yesterday, capturing an online gun-selling network and seizing a significant amount of illegal firearms and modification equipment.

Following months of meticulous investigations, the Commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), Police Lieutenant General Worawat Watnakornbancha directed an operation to execute warrants to search the identified sites suspected of illegal firearm production.

The raids targeted four key locations and resulted in the arrest of five individuals. CCIB officers confiscated a total of seven illegal firearms, twenty-seven rounds of ammunition, various gun parts, and a plethora of manufacturing tools.

The investigation, which began last December, was initiated by the Cyber Guard Unit of the 4th Division of the CCIB. They identified two Facebook accounts advertising modified BB guns capable of firing .22 calibre live ammunition.

Upon tracking the Facebook activities, police discovered the account owner, 25 year old construction worker, Nate, who had been covertly using a worker’s residence at the construction site as a makeshift gun workshop. Based on collected evidence, authorities obtained four search warrants to inspect related premises.

The first two locations were at an unnamed construction site on Sukhumvit Road in Saensuk Subdistrict, Chon Buri. In these rooms, police found two modified BB handguns capable of firing .22 calibre ammunition, two .22 calibre magazines, a .22 calibre rifle bolt assembly, ten rounds of ammunition, and numerous firearm production tools.

Makeshift guns

Nate was apprehended at this location while police arrested 28 year old Nutthapong nearby, who was found with a 9mm gun barrel, two .380 calibre gun barrels, and a 9mm magazine.

The third location was a house in Bang Bua Thong District, Nonthaburi Province. Here, police arrested 47 year old Seksan and seized two .22 calibre rifles, a .380 calibre semi-automatic handgun, an unknown calibre revolver, two high-pressure PCP air rifles, and forty-four rounds of ammunition.

The fourth location was a house in Thung Saliam District, Sukhothai Province. Police detained 35 year old Manich, and seized a .22 calibre rifle, a .22 calibre semi-automatic handgun, five rounds of ammunition, and various gun parts and tools.

Further investigation revealed that Natthapong and Manich frequently exchanged information regarding firearms and gun parts, and sold guns within the same Facebook group. Investigations also revealed that Nate had sent multiple firearms to Seksan, prompting a search of both residences.

Initially, the police charged all individuals with manufacturing, repairing, or possessing firearms and ammunition without proper authorisation. They were also charged with possessing gun parts, such as barrels and magazines, without authorisation.

All suspects in the online gun-selling network, along with the seized evidence, were handed over to the investigating officers for legal proceedings, reported KhaoSod.