Couple Arrested with AK47s and Over 7,000 Rounds of Ammunition Destined for Customers; Weapons Smuggled from Cambodia
A married couple was arrested in Ubon Ratchathani with five AK47 rifles and over 7,000 rounds of ammunition smuggled from Cambodia for distribution to customers in northern Thailand.
On May 26, Deputy Commander Burapat Buribukkdi of the Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Police (Security Division), along with Deputy Commander Sanit Chaisathit and Police Major Weeraphun Naksuk of the Decha Udom Police Station, announced the arrest of Surachet, 46, and Supansa, 39, a married couple accused of operating an international arms trafficking network. Police seized five AK47 rifles, five ammunition magazines, and 7,118 rounds of various ammunition including 6,450 rounds of 7.62mm bullets, 168 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, and 500 M60 machine gun rounds during their arrest in Decha Udom District, Ubon Ratchathani Province.
Surachet confessed that all weapons belonged to Withaya, who resides in a neighboring country and was a former cellmate at Rayong Prison. After his release in December of the previous year, Withaya hired Surachet for 15,000-20,000 baht per trip to collect weapons from an unidentified man at a gas station in Prasat District, Surin Province, then forward them to destinations in Chiang Mai and Lampang provinces using private transport companies. This was the third smuggling operation before their arrest.
Military sources in the area revealed that this weapons shipment was illegally imported from Cambodia with the intent to sell to ethnic minority groups in northern Thailand or to weapons collector enthusiasts.
