Rogue cop with gambling addiction jailed for 50 years for gun theft

[snoop1130]

Picture courtesy of ThaiRath.

 

A rogue cop with a gambling addiction was sentenced to 270 years in prison for theft and illegal possession of 160 firearms. He will only serve 50 years as allowed under Thai law.

 

Senior sergeant major Chaowarit Phumkajorn, from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was arrested in October in the Isaan province of Nong Khai after reportedly selling 160 police guns to pay off his gambling debts. The investigation concluded yesterday, with 23 suspects arrested and charged for receiving stolen goods, while eight senior officers are set to be punished for dereliction of duty, reported Bangkok Post.

 

Deputy national police chief, Pol Gen Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, said the rogue cop’s arrest led to the arrests of 23 others who pawned, sold or bought the guns. Most were security guards for gambling dens and the gamblers themselves. Big Joke said…

 

“Eight police will be punished for dereliction of duty. They range from former station chiefs who served between 2014-2022 to active inspectors. A committee has been set up to handle the disciplinary investigation.

 

“As for the stolen firearms, police managed to retrieve 64 but 96 remain unaccounted for. Police believe they were sold in neighbouring countries.

 

“Sixty-three guns are in the state’s inventory, with one returned to a local station.

 

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/rogue-cop-with-gambling-addiction-jailed-for-50-years-for-gun-theft

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-04-06

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

The most versatile and flexible rental investment and holiday home solution in Thailand - click for more information.

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Deputy national police chief, Pol Gen Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, said the rogue cop’s arrest led to the arrests of 23 others who pawned, sold or bought the guns. Most were security guards for gambling dens and the gamblers themselves. Big Joke said…

Nice to see the guns going into safe hands... stolen guns going into illegal businesses by a rogue cop.

[Asquith Production]

Why are they kept? They should be crushed as it removes any temptation for them to be sold on and used illegally 

[2baht]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A rogue cop with a gambling addiction was sentenced to 270 years in prison

He can now bet with other inmates on how many fish heads they'll get in their soup!

[IvorBiggun2]

Policeman steals guns? I thought ALL policemen bought their own guns along with their uniforms etc? Unless I've missed something 'whose guns were they'?

[Pink Mist]

22 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Policeman steals guns? I thought ALL policemen bought their own guns along with their uniforms etc? Unless I've missed something 'whose guns were they'?

The police officer was an armorer in charge of the armory. The weapons were extras to replace guns taken out of service for repair and the officers issued one from the armory until there's was repaired.  

 

Here is how he took the guns, from the linked article.

 

"The Deputy Commander of the Provincial Police Region 1, Phananchai Chuenjaitham, reported that Chaowarit was in charge of gun disbursement at Pak Kret Police Station, making it easier for him to steal guns". It was discovered he had been stealing guns for more than five years.

Senior officers did not detect any wrongdoing because the rogue cop covered his tracks, stealing only one or two guns at a time. He created fake documents which revealed that the guns had been allocated to officers on duty.

[RichardColeman]

I think that is a very good sentence, considering the mass death and murder they could have caused