Online sting leads to cross-border arms ring dismantled

2026-02-12 - 08:56

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT — 12 February 2026, Thai police have dismantled an alleged transnational arms trafficking network, arresting three men accused of selling military-style weapons, including M16 rifles and grenades to buyers across the country and along Thailand’s western border, officials said on Thursday. Senior officers announced the arrests at Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police headquarters, alongside investigators from the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Provincial Police Region 8, provincial investigators and officers from Kapang Police Station. The three suspects, aged between 23 and 26 and all from Thung Song district in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, were described by police as operating an online arms trading network. The arrests followed an investigation by metropolitan police, who conducted an undercover operation to purchase weapons online. After confirming the suspects’ alleged involvement, officers obtained a search warrant and raided properties in the Kapang area. Police seized a cache of weapons including two M16A1 assault rifles, one MK12 shotgun, one .22 calibre rifle, two locally made shotguns, one .38 calibre handgun, one .22 calibre handgun and a double-barrelled shotgun. Officers also confiscated two M67 fragmentation grenades and nearly 300 rounds of various types of ammunition. Authorities said drugs were also found during the raid. Pol. Maj. Gen. Pornchai Khajonkliang, acting commander of Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police and deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 8, said investigators found that the suspects allegedly sold weapons nationwide and had also supplied buyers along Thailand’s western border. He said police were expanding the investigation to trace the origin of the war-grade weapons, firearms, ammunition and grenades, as well as to follow financial trails linked to the network. The suspects were charged with possessing firearms and ammunition that cannot be licensed by authorities, possessing firearms and ammunition for trade without permission, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and carrying firearms in public without a licence or reasonable cause, police said. They remain in custody for further legal proceedings.