A smuggling suspect has been arrested and two AK-47 rifles, more than 24,000 rounds of ammunition and other items smuggled from Cambodia seized at a pier in Laem Ngop district of Trat province.
The seizure was the result of a stepped-up operation by the Royal Thai Navy and Trat Marine Police to track a maritime smuggling network, said the navy spokesman, Rear Adm Parach Rattanachaiphan.
Officers inspected a suspicious target at the Direk pier in tambon Khlong Yai of Laem Ngop district at 7pm on Friday. They arrested a man and seized war weapons, ammunition and vehicles used for smuggling. Other members of the network managed to flee, said Rear Adm Parach.
The seized items included two AK-47 assault rifles, 102 AK-47 magazines, 23,640 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 765 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, a speedboat and three vehicles.
A preliminary investigation found that the network used a speedboat to collect the goods from foreign nationals who delivered them at sea. The items had been transported from Cambodia before being brought back to the pier in Laem Ngop.
The suspect and all seized items were handed over to Laem Ngop police for legal proceedings. Authorities are also investigating the source of the weapons, their intended destination, and other people involved.
Rear Adm Parach said the arrest resulted from intelligence cooperation between the navy, Marine Police and security agencies, enabling officers to intercept a large quantity of weapons and ammunition before they reached their destination.
