Marine Police Seize Weapons, Arrest Five in Cambodia Smuggling Operation

Marine Police, in coordination with the First Naval Area Command and the Naval News Department, announced the interception of a cross-border war weapons smuggling operation by sea after continuous monitoring. Five suspects were arrested at the Welu River in Khao Saming District, Trat Province, along with the seizure of 31,880 rounds of air gun ammunition, three objects resembling detonators packed in PVC pipes, one speedboat, and two mobile phones.

Pol. Maj. Gen. Prasak Learrujiralai, Commander of the Marine Police Division, revealed that police had been investigating and tracking the movement of war weapons trafficking and illegal activities along the coastal areas from the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand. After receiving intelligence that persons and weapons were being smuggled using boats in the Koh Kood area before being forwarded to a third country, officers detected suspicious activity moving goods along the Welu River coast on November 1 to receive items at sea. They tracked and coordinated with the Navy until they could inspect and arrest all five suspects with the evidence.

Preliminary interrogation revealed the boat operator admitted to being paid 10,000 baht, contacted via online channels to pilot the boat to pick up Cambodian nationals and the aforementioned items. Authorities are now expanding the investigation to uncover the entire network from source, suppliers, employers, transporters to the final destination of the seized weapons, and will pursue legal action against all involved.