Cache of ammunition, two assault rifles from Cambodia seized in Trat

Thai naval officers and marine police arrested a man and seized two AK47 automatic assault rifles, a large quantity of ammunition and a speed boat at a pier in Laem Ngop district of the eastern province of Trat Friday night.

Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy, told the media today that they had been monitoring smuggling activities from Cambodia into Thailand by sea via Trat province.

Acting on a tip-off that a speed boat carrying contraband goods was about to dock at the Direk Pier in Khlong Yai sub-district last night, a joint naval and police team was dispatched to the pier to keep watch from a safe distance.

At about 7pm, three cars arrived at the pier just as the speed boat was about to unload its cargo onto the pier. The officers immediately moved in to make arrests, prompting several men to flee in panic, leaving one behind who was apprehended.

Several cardboard boxes were seized, in which the officers found two AK-47 assault rifles, 102 magazines and 23,640 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition for the rifles and 765 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition. The speed boat and the three cars were also seized.

The lone suspect, whose identity was not disclosed, was later taken the Laem Ngop police station for questioning to determine the intended destination for the military hardware.