The Thai police have expanded their investigation into a suspected illegal weapons trafficking network linked to a Chinese national arrested in Chon Buri, with three suspects, including a Thai navy officer, now being questioned by authorities.
Investigators are also preparing to summon two additional individuals for questioning, including an active-duty military officer and a former serviceman believed to have possible connections to the case.
The three suspects were detained on Saturday by a police team led by Pol Maj Gen Noppasin Poonsawat, a commander attached to the Office of the National Police Chief.
Among those taken into custody was PO1 Maethee, 46, a naval military police officer attached to the Naval Military Police Regiment in Sattahip district. Another suspect was identified only by the nickname “Boy”, a local shooting range operator.
Authorities believe the two men may have been involved in the procurement and sale of assault rifles discovered at the Chon Buri residence of Chinese suspect Sun Mingchen.
Police uncovered a large cache of weapons at a house inside the Maple housing estate in Bang Lamung district following a search linked to a car accident on Friday that led to Sun’s arrest.
Later on Saturday evening, officers detained a third suspect, 51-year-old civilian Jamrong, at a residence in Sattahip district. Investigators suspect he owned a bank account allegedly used to receive payments for M4 assault rifles, which were reportedly sold for around 100,000 baht each.
According to police, Jamrong claimed he had opened the account on behalf of the Chinese suspect and insisted he was unaware of the nature of the financial transactions.
Pol Maj Gen Noppasin said on Sunday that no charges had yet been filed against those detained and stressed that investigators were still working to establish links between the suspects and the wider network.
He added that legal action would be pursued against anyone found to be involved in the trafficking of military-grade weapons if sufficient evidence was uncovered.
Navy Vows Cooperation
Royal Thai Navy spokesman Rear Adm Parach Rattanachaiyaphan said the navy had already been informed about the investigation and was closely monitoring the situation.
He acknowledged that more than one naval officer could potentially be implicated in the case and said commanding officers had instructed personnel named in the investigation to cooperate fully with authorities and provide information as required by law.
Rear Adm Parach stated that the navy would not protect personnel found to have committed wrongdoing, adding that both disciplinary and legal action would be taken against anyone proven to be involved.
He also reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to fully cooperating with police to ensure the investigation remains transparent and fair.
The investigation began after Sun Mingchen, a Chinese national, was arrested following a car crash in Bang Lamung district on Friday, where authorities reportedly discovered military-grade weapons inside his overturned vehicle.
The discovery prompted police to search his residence, where officers uncovered a substantial arsenal along with explosive devices, triggering a broader probe into potential arms supply networks and possible links to armed groups.
Meanwhile, Pol Capt Athit Saenpanya, deputy investigation inspector at Na Jomtien police station, said a Taiwanese woman seen with Sun during the crash, identified as 33-year-old Ma Yu-Hsin, had been confirmed to be a friend of the suspect.
According to investigators, the pair first met in January when Sun travelled to Taiwan and Ma worked as his tour guide. She later travelled to Thailand in April and contacted him to accompany her around Pattaya.
Police said Ma was scheduled to return to Taiwan on Sunday and that investigators had found no evidence connecting her to the weapons case.
