Bang out of order! Bolt bikers busted for flogging DIY firearms
Two broke Bolt bikers swapped fares for firearms, flogging deadly DIY pistols in the heart of Pattaya to make ends meet, until a Facebook sting brought their side hustle to a screeching halt.
In a dramatic late-night bust on June 15, Thai police arrested two motorcycle taxi riders in central Pattaya for producing and selling home-modified firearms, as part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown on illegal weapons.
The sting was orchestrated by National Police Chief Police General Kittirat Phanphet and Police Lieutenant General Sakyasira Phueak-am, head of the Tourist Police Bureau, after officers spotted the pair flogging converted blank guns on Facebook.
Undercover officers from the Tourist Police Investigation Division, led by Police Colonel Man Rotthong and Police Lieutenant Colonel Kritphol Saengsura, lured the suspects into a trap. Worakan, also known as “Tae,” was first to fall into the net after arranging to meet buyers on Pattaya Second Road.
Though he was initially clean, the 24 year old soon cracked under questioning and confessed to the gun-running scheme, leading cops to his accomplice, 21 year old Warasin, nicknamed “Song,” who was waiting nearby on a motorbike.
A quick search turned up a Thai-modified Colt MMK4 blank gun, packed with seven live .380 calibre rounds, hidden in Warasin’s waistband. Another weapon, a modified Kimber .380 and its magazine, was stashed on the bike’s dashboard.
Raids on a nearby residence uncovered a makeshift gun workshop complete with drills, grinders, a vise, and spare parts, everything needed to transform innocent-looking blank guns into fully functioning firearms.
The duo came clean, admitting they’d turned to crime to cope with financial struggles. Worakan said he bought the blank guns and handed them off to Warasin for conversion. Warasin, who charged 2,500 baht per job, even demonstrated his deadly craft to stunned officers.
They insisted the weapons weren’t for violent crime, just to “cover expenses and leisure,” but police weren’t buying it.
Worakan now faces charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm and carrying it in public without legal justification. Warasin is in even hotter water, hit with multiple charges for manufacturing, modifying, importing, and selling illegal firearms and ammunition.
Both suspects were transferred to Pattaya City Police Station for prosecution, reported Pattaya News.
In a separate but related bust, the same police unit nicked 50 year old Witoon, also known as “Tom,” in Sriracha, Chon Buri.
He was caught selling a Kimber Stainless Ultra Raptor II (.45 calibre) and matching ammo for 75,000 baht on Facebook. He now faces similar charges and has been handed over to Sriracha Police Station for legal action.
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