BANGKOK, Sept 29 (TNA) – Police arrested two men aged 21 and 28 for illegally selling firearms over the past two years through their online groups which had more than 4,000 followers.
Both were arrested between Sept 26 and 28 and charged with unauthorized production, repair, import, modification and possession of firearms for sales. They confessed to the crime.
One of the suspects identified only as Thasapol, 28, was arrested in Takhli district of Nakhon Sawan. He opened a chat group via the LINE chat application for his illicit trade in guns and the group had 160 members.
The other suspect, Watchapol, aged 21 years old was apprehended in his condominium in Chang Phueak sub-district of Muang district in Chiang Mai province. In his room police found 21 unregistered guns, about 150 rounds of ammunition, 35 barrels and equipment for gun production and modification.
Mr Watchapol said he ran a YouTube channel named Chang Tham Mue (craftsman) which had about 4,000 followers.
He said he started to learn gun modification by himself after being cheated by a gun supplier. Over the past few years he sold about 500 guns and delivered them to buyers nationwide by mail. His profit was around 3,000-4,000 baht per gun and 200-300 baht per box of ammunition.
Mr Watchapol said he also sold barrels and bullets to the political demonstrators who were arrested in Din Daeng intersection.
Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thammasuthee, investigative chief of the Provincial Police Region 2, said police took about five months to reach both suspects who had abused technology to conceal their identities and they were major suppliers of illegal firearms.
Police were looking for their customers nationwide, he said. (TNA)
