Police Raid Gun Trafficking Operation, Illegal Weapons Sold to Teens via Facebook

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

Police have dismantled a clandestine firearms trafficking network dubbed “Ngor Wat Tuek”, arresting a 45-year-old man accused of illegally selling weapons, including modified guns and ammunition, through Facebook groups aimed at young buyers.

The operation was launched under the direction of Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, along with key officers from the Division of Special Investigation (DSI). Mr Thanongsak, also known as “Ngor”, was apprehended on 22 May at 21:10 outside a convenience store in Bang Phai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nonthaburi Province.

Authorities seized a large cache of illegal weapons and related items, including:

• A Mossberg shotgun with registration.

• A modified Sig Sauer P365 semi-automatic pistol (.380 calibre).

• A Gorinco 9mm semi-automatic pistol with registration.

• A Taurus Brasil .38 calibre revolver (unregistered).

• Several boxes of ammunition, totalling over 200 roundsacross various calibres (.38, .340, .380, 12-gauge).

• A sparta knife.

• A dismantled M4 replica intended to be converted into a real firearm.

The suspect had allegedly been advertising guns in a Facebook group called “Thai Homemade Guns and Blank Gun Modifications”. Under the alias “Sirisak”, police officers, posing as buyers, contacted him and negotiated a deal for 60,000 baht. The exchange was arranged at the convenience store where he was eventually caught with the weapons hidden in a box wrapped in second-hand clothing.

During questioning, Mr Thanongsak confessed to selling illegal firearms for several years. He claimed that his initial interest stemmed from a desire to protect his family, which includes three teenage sons. Financial difficulties and access to online gun communities led him to begin manufacturing and selling weapons, with prices ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 baht.

Police have charged him with multiple firearms offences, including:

• Illegal sale of firearms and ammunition without proper authorisation.

• Possession of firearms and ammunition without a licence.

• Carrying weapons in public without legitimate reason or permission.

Mr Thanongsak and the confiscated items have been transferred to Bang Si Mueang Police Station for further legal proceedings.