Police Charge Sun Mingchen on 7 Major Counts: Modified M4 Rifles Not Military Weapons
Thai police have charged Chinese suspect Sun Mingchen on seven major counts involving weapons, explosives, and money laundering totaling over 815 million baht in damages, with investigations revealing modified M4 rifles were illegally assem
On May 21, 2025, at the Royal Thai Police headquarters, Police Lieutenant General Trairongpipat Piwpranom, national police spokesman, alongside senior officials announced progress in dismantling a transnational criminal organization linked to Sun Mingchen, a key suspect.
Lieutenant General Trairongpipat revealed that police have escalated the investigation and divided charges into seven major criminal categories covering weapons possession, explosives, and money laundering through digital currency transactions, with estimated damages exceeding 815 million baht.
Group 1 involves weapons and explosives charges against two foreign nationals: Sun Mingchen and a close female associate.
Group 2 involves long M4 rifle cases with five people arrested for providing weapons, including two government officials and three civilians.
Group 3 concerns Glock 26 pistol cases with five suspects charged and six others under investigation. These pistols were originally registered legally but illegally resold.
Group 4 involves C4 explosive cases with four people under investigation, including criminal organization members and transporters. Initial findings indicate the explosives originated from Korea, Russia, and Myanmar.
Group 5 covers identification cards for non-Thai nationals (pink cards), investigating officials who facilitated document preparation for Sun Mingchen, though direct links to transnational crime haven't yet been established.
Group 6 involves transnational criminal network charges related to weapons, human trafficking, and customs violations, with evidence suggesting planned weapon exports abroad.
Group 7 concerns financial transactions and digital activities, revealing five main accounts belonging to Sun Mingchen connected to 648 other accounts linked to 4,143 technology crime cases worth over 815 million baht in damages.
Forensic analysis from the Evidence Examination Center shows that two seized M4 rifles had no serial numbers and no evidence of government markings, confirming they were not stolen or issued military weapons. Instead, they were modified assemblies created from parts of multiple rifles, including M16A1 barrels altered to resemble M4 Commando rifles. Investigation revealed these components were illegally obtained from black market sources and internet networks.
