Machine Gun Seized In Phuket Meth Raid

[webfact]

Machine gun seized in Phuket meth raid

Phuket Gazette

Pornthep “Tung” Sombun, 22, with the assortment of firearms found in a house by Phuket police during a drugs raid today.

PHUKET: -- Police conducting drug raids on three houses in Mai Khao, at the northern tip of Phuket, today seized a slew of guns, including a .45 Thompson submachine gun.

Armed with search warrants, officers from Tah Chat Chai Police Station first searched the home of 38-year-old Chaicharn Kao-ian, where they found 60 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills hidden in his washing machine.

Chaicharn later confessed to police that the drugs belonged to him and that he sold them to local youngsters, said police.

Samruad “Wew” Jansida, 35, and Warakij “Don” Pannurak, 18, were also arrested in the house after their urine tested positive in a spot test for drugs.

The two confessed they had taken drugs, police said.

The officers then raided the home of Pornthep “Tung” Sombun, 22, where they found a variety of illegal guns hidden throughout the house.

Police seized a .45 Thompson submachine gun along with 47 bullets and a magazine loaded with 30 bullets as well as a rifle (with no registration number), a shotgun, a Steven Air rifle and a Smith & Wesson .38 handgun with 48 bullets – plus two bullets still in the chamber.

Police also seized one pack of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) weighing 0.156 grams.

Pornthep told police that the crystal meth and the air rifle belonged to him, but that the handgun and the shotgun belonged to his older brother, who is currently serving a jail sentence at Phuket Prison.

He also explained that although he was found in possession of the Thompson submachine gun, he did not actually own it.

A man wanted to borrow 30,000 baht and left the classic war weapon with Pornthep as collateral. The gun was to be returned when the man repaid the debt, he said.

The last raid of the day, at a house in Sakoo, resulted in the arrest of Chatri Chaidham, 35.

Police conducted another spot test for drugs, for which Chatri tested positive and he confessed to owning drug-taking paraphernalia found in the home.

Also arrested at the house were Prasert Makaseng, 28, and a man named by police only as “Abdullah”, age 23.

The men were found in possession of 40 leaves of kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), an indigenous plant that acts as a stimulant when ingested.

They confessed to police that the kratom belonged to them, said police.

“Police are continuing their efforts to eradicate drugs and war weapons. People can anonymously inform police of any activities involving drugs at any time. Every police officer is ready to work hard throughout the New Year to protect against bad things from happening,” Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Col Sakchai Limcharoen said.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2011/article11764.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-12-21

[Shot]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

[stevenl]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

Somehow I believe this 'A man wanted to borrow 30,000 baht and left the classic war weapon with Pornthep as collateral. The gun was to be returned when the man repaid the debt, he said.' Whether it is a good idea to lend money to somebody owning a machine gun (and probably charging 20%, or at least 10% interest a month) is a different question.

[BOS2BKK]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

That's an early version M1928A1 Model. You can easily distinguish it by the cocking handle on the top of the receiver, and solid forestock. These were the original model manufactured for the Army and issued prior too and at the very beginning of WWII.

The M1928 (gangster style) and M1928A1 are much rarer than the redesigned M1/M1A1 model with the cocking handle on the right side of the receiver, and modified action.

One Thompson collectors site says that of the 1.7m Thompson's made for WWII, less than 400,000 were the commercial purchase M1928 or the modified M1928A1 model. Properly documented (made legal) that gun is worth easily $20,000+++ and the more history you can attach to it pushes the price up fast. In that part of the world it probably has a storied history. They should post the serial number and try to research what unit it was issued too. You might even be able to narrow it down to a specific unit.

What a crying shame that a collectors item like that will end up getting tossed around by people who don't know what they have.

[BOS2BKK]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

That's an early version M1928A1 Model.

I was just doing some quick research on some Thompson collectors sites. In addition to the obvious notion that this gun was in the hands of an American GI in the South Pacific, they were extensively shipped to China under Lend Lease, and to Russia under the same program. The Russians had a severe shortage of 45Cal Ammo so they crated and stored them. A large cache was discovered after the fall of the Soviet Union and put on the open market. Purely speculation on my part, but the excellent condition of that gun would suggest it spent alot of time in storage, and with the prevalence of Russian organized crime in Thailand maybe that is where it came from?

[Shot]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

That's an early version M1928A1 Model.

I was just doing some quick research on some Thompson collectors sites. In addition to the obvious notion that this gun was in the hands of an American GI in the South Pacific, they were extensively shipped to China under Lend Lease, and to Russia under the same program. The Russians had a severe shortage of 45Cal Ammo so they crated and stored them. A large cache was discovered after the fall of the Soviet Union and put on the open market. Purely speculation on my part, but the excellent condition of that gun would suggest it spent alot of time in storage, and with the prevalence of Russian organized crime in Thailand maybe that is where it came from?

Yes, the history of the gun will certainly figure into the value.

How did it get here? Your theory is as good as any. Guns have a funny way of getting around…Just ask Eric Holder.

[ScubaBuddha]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

That's an early version M1928A1 Model. You can easily distinguish it by the cocking handle on the top of the receiver, and solid forestock. These were the original model manufactured for the Army and issued prior too and at the very beginning of WWII.

The M1928 (gangster style) and M1928A1 are much rarer than the redesigned M1/M1A1 model with the cocking handle on the right side of the receiver, and modified action.

One Thompson collectors site says that of the 1.7m Thompson's made for WWII, less than 400,000 were the commercial purchase M1928 or the modified M1928A1 model. Properly documented (made legal) that gun is worth easily $20,000+++ and the more history you can attach to it pushes the price up fast. In that part of the world it probably has a storied history. They should post the serial number and try to research what unit it was issued too. You might even be able to narrow it down to a specific unit.

What a crying shame that a collectors item like that will end up getting tossed around by people who don't know what they have.

And then incinerated.

Excellent post.

[Shot]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

That's an early version M1928A1 Model. You can easily distinguish it by the cocking handle on the top of the receiver, and solid forestock. These were the original model manufactured for the Army and issued prior too and at the very beginning of WWII.

The M1928 (gangster style) and M1928A1 are much rarer than the redesigned M1/M1A1 model with the cocking handle on the right side of the receiver, and modified action.

One Thompson collectors site says that of the 1.7m Thompson's made for WWII, less than 400,000 were the commercial purchase M1928 or the modified M1928A1 model. Properly documented (made legal) that gun is worth easily $20,000+++ and the more history you can attach to it pushes the price up fast. In that part of the world it probably has a storied history. They should post the serial number and try to research what unit it was issued too. You might even be able to narrow it down to a specific unit.

What a crying shame that a collectors item like that will end up getting tossed around by people who don't know what they have.

And then incinerated.

Excellent post.

Let's just hope this time the BIB get hold of it and understand what it is. Maybe end up at the Captains house?

[thrilled]

oh yeah their still around.They can be had but your talking mack mack baht

[djvolak]

Where the heck did he find (steal) the Tommy Gun? They don't grow on trees.

That's an early version M1928A1 Model. You can easily distinguish it by the cocking handle on the top of the receiver, and solid forestock. These were the original model manufactured for the Army and issued prior too and at the very beginning of WWII.

The M1928 (gangster style) and M1928A1 are much rarer than the redesigned M1/M1A1 model with the cocking handle on the right side of the receiver, and modified action.

One Thompson collectors site says that of the 1.7m Thompson's made for WWII, less than 400,000 were the commercial purchase M1928 or the modified M1928A1 model. Properly documented (made legal) that gun is worth easily $20,000+++ and the more history you can attach to it pushes the price up fast. In that part of the world it probably has a storied history. They should post the serial number and try to research what unit it was issued too. You might even be able to narrow it down to a specific unit.

What a crying shame that a collectors item like that will end up getting tossed around by people who don't know what they have.

Yes it looks to be in beautiful condition. They really were good looking guns.