Thai naval and marine police arrested a man and seized two AK-47 rifles and 24,405 rounds in an alleged cross-border arms-smuggling operation in Trat
Thai naval and marine police seized two AK-47 rifles and 24,405 rounds of ammunition during a raid on a speedboat in Trat province.
The operation, which targeted a suspected transnational arms-smuggling network, resulted in the arrest of one man, while other suspects escaped.
Authorities believe the weapons were transported from the Cambodian coast and transferred at sea before arriving at a pier in Trat.
Thai naval and marine police officers have arrested a man and seized two AK-47 rifles and 24,405 rounds of ammunition during an operation targeting an alleged transnational arms-smuggling network in Trat.
RAdm Parat Rattanachaiphan, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy, said the Navy and Trat Marine Police had been monitoring suspected maritime smuggling activity along the border before identifying a vessel of interest.
Suspected vessel intercepted at Trat pier
Officers inspected the target at Direk Pier in Khlong Yai subdistrict of Laem Ngop district on Friday evening (August 21).
One man was arrested, while other people believed to be involved escaped during the confusion. Authorities are continuing efforts to locate them.
Officers seized:
Two AK-47 rifles
102 AK-47 magazines
23,640 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition
765 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition
One white-and-blue speedboat
Three vehicles allegedly connected with the operation
The two types of ammunition totalled 24,405 rounds.
Investigators trace alleged transfer at sea
A preliminary investigation indicated that the speedboat had travelled offshore to collect the shipment from a group of foreign nationals.
Authorities believe the items had been transported from the Cambodian coast and transferred at sea before the speedboat returned to the pier in Laem Ngop district.
The account remains part of an ongoing investigation and has not yet been established in court.
Officers transferred the arrested man and all seized items to Laem Ngop Police Station for legal proceedings.
Investigators are examining the origin of the weapons, their intended destination and the identities of other people or networks that may have been involved.
RAdm Parat attributed the interception to intelligence coordination between the Royal Thai Navy, Marine Police and other security agencies.
He said the operation prevented a substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition from reaching its alleged destination.
The enforcement formed part of the Navy’s “100% border closure” measures, which extend beyond official land checkpoints to suspected smuggling routes on land and at sea.
The Navy will continue working with the Marine Police and other agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering, patrols and surveillance on land and at sea, Parat said.
