In the province of Phichit, a guy aged 24 was detained for converting blank weapons into firearms and selling them online. He was the only one involved in the crime.
Members of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) police carried out a search warrant that the Phichit Provincial Court had issued on Thursday for a residence in the tambon Khao Sai neighborhood of the Thap Khlo district.
Following the encirclement of the residence, the cops observed a guy who they later determined to be Prinya Petchjinda attempting to flee on foot. After apprehending the suspect, they discovered that he was in possession of four pen guns and six rounds of.38 ammo. It was stated that he was attempting to get rid of the items while he was running away from the cops.
During the investigation of the residence, an altered blank gun that was capable of functioning as a firearm, 26 gun barrels, 20 firing pins, 23 magazines, and a variety of other gun parts in addition to 43 pen guns were discovered.
The police also found seven methamphetamine pills hidden inside the barrel of an airsoft weapon in a bag with a zipper.
One of the reasons that Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukvimol, the head of the national police force, authorized the search was to crack down on the online sale of firearms and modified weapons.
The CCIB police were able to track down Mr. Prinya after joining a hidden online network that dealt in illegal firearms and modified weapons.
The suspect confirmed that he had been manufacturing and customizing firearms for sale for the previous two years. He stated that he was able to sell four to five pieces each month, and the prices for pen guns ranged from 1,200 to 1,500 baht. He charged as much as 15,000 baht for each blank gun that was designed to accommodate real ammunition.
Mr. Prinya confirmed to the police that he ran his business through various online groups and social media platforms, but he also stated that he worked with agents and collected commissions from them.
He is currently being processed according to the legal procedures as he has been charged with breaking laws regarding firearms and ammunition, unlawful possession of firearms and narcotics, and illegal possession of firearms and narcotics.
During operations conducted on two warehouses in the Rat Burana district on Thursday, Bangkok police were able to confiscate a considerable quantity of replica firearms.
Following the shootings that took place on October 3 in a shopping mall in Bangkok, which resulted in the deaths of three people, the authorities have ramped up their efforts to address loopholes in the law and crack down on the sale of firearms without proper authorization.
The firearm that the juvenile suspect who was detained for the killings at Siam Paragon used was one that was designed to shoot blanks and that he had purchased online. After that, he had it updated so that it could shoot actual bullets.
The authorities have also promised to tighten regulations on firearms in order to prevent crime that is associated with the use of firearms.
READ MORE https://tdri.or.th/en/2022/10/lets-talk-about-gun-control-in-thailand/
FRONT Police examine imitation guns, worth about 4 million baht in total, found in a raid on two warehouses in Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)
