A Chinese national has been sentenced to 46 years in prison after a major cache of military-grade weapons, explosives and signal-jamming equipment was found at his home in Chon Buri. Pattaya Provincial Court handed down the sentence to Sun Mingchen, 31, following his guilty plea to offences involving firearms, ammunition, explosives and military communications equipment. The case followed a police operation launched after Sun's sedan overturned in Bang Lamung district on the evening of May 8. A Taiwanese woman was travelling with him and neither was seriously injured. However, officers from Na Jomtien police station found a handgun in the vehicle, prompting them to detain Sun and widen their investigation. Weapons found at Huai Yai residence Police subsequently searched Sun's residence in tambon Huai Yai and seized what authorities described as a large stockpile of weapons and military hardware. The haul included M4 and M16 assault rifles, a 9mm Glock pistol, ammunition, magazines, C4 high explosive, anti-personnel explosives and bomb-making components. Officers also recovered body armour, chemical protection masks, radio communication sets, radio signal jammers and remote signal transmission equipment. Pattaya provincial prosecutors charged Sun and a second defendant with illegal possession of military firearms, ammunition, explosives and other military equipment, including radio devices. The court found Sun guilty of offences under the Firearms Act, Arms Control Act and Radio Communications Act. It said his guilty plea had been useful, but considered the offences especially grave because of the threat posed to public safety and national security. Sentence reduced, but maximum term applies The court reduced Sun's punishment by one-third before imposing consecutive terms totalling 46 years. Under Thai law, he can serve no more than 20 years of the sentence. All items seized during the investigation were ordered confiscated. Sun pleaded guilty to all charges. The other defendant denied the allegations, and the court temporarily removed that case from the docket. Prosecutors were ordered to refile it within 15 days, while the second defendant remains in custody pending further proceedings. Authorities described the prosecution as a significant case for the Pattaya provincial prosecutor's office, with judgment secured in less than three months after Sun's arrest. They credited cooperation between police investigators, prosecutors and the judiciary. Picture courtesy of Bangkokpost Related stories Chinese-man-held-over-possible-Pattaya-terror-plot Pattaya-weapons-suspect-linked-to-4000-scam-cases Join the discussion? 4 August 2026
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