Police raided a man's home believed to be an illegal gun shop in Thailand.
The Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (IDMB) converged on an apartment in Bangkok and arrested Chotthanapat Phala, 39, on October 11.
Chotthanapat had previously been jailed for illegal gun sales, but he was released on bail pending an appeal. However, police monitoring online gun stores allegedly that he had returned to peddling modified guns through a Facebook group.
Police said that he was found 'acting nervously' outside the apartment as they descended on his room. They seized 19 firearms, including modified BB guns capable of firing 0.38 calibre rounds, various ammunition, nine gun cylinders, 12 gun barrels, and more than 20 gun components and packaging tools.
IDMB commander Police Major General Theeradech Thamsuthee said: 'Criminals have been using illegal firearms to commit various crimes, affecting innocent people in society. Those who smuggle, sell, or buy unregistered firearms, if found guilty, will be sentenced to between two to 20 years, and a fine from 4,000 to 40,000 baht under the Firearms Act.'
Chotthanapat allegedly admitted to possessing, selling, and modifying the guns because they were a lucrative business. He claimed to have been making 60,000 to 100,000 baht (1,384 GBP to 2,308 GBP) a month before being arrested.
He said he was detained for similar offenses in 2019, 2021, and 2022, but allegedly returned to his illegal ways because he 'did not know what other job to do to make money quickly'.
He was charged with 'possessing firearms and ammunition without permission' and 'making, assembling, repairing, modifying, ordering, importing, possessing or distributing guns or ammunition for commercial purposes without permission'.
Thailand has one of the highest gun ownership and gun homicide rates among Southeast Asian nations. Many of the firearms are believed to be sold by government and police officers, who can buy and sell them at a discounted rate under the government's 'gun welfare programme'.
The persistent gun culture is said to stem from a distrust of crime control policies, especially in rural areas.
Former Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had previously vowed to tighten gun control laws following a shooting at a Bangkok mall in October 2023 that rattled locals in the capital.
