M4 rifles seized from Chinese suspect are not state property - Police

Two M4 assault rifles seized from the residence of a Chinese suspect, Sun Ming Chen, are not official government weapons, the Royal Thai Police announced on Thursday.

Pol. Lt. Gen. Trairong Phiwpan, the Royal Thai Police spokesman, stated that a forensic examination of the firearms revealed no signs of erased serial numbers or altered identification markings.

Instead, inspectors discovered that several internal components and spare parts had been salvaged from different weapons. The mixing of mismatched parts runs contrary to standard government firearm protocols.

Investigators concluded that the two rifles had been custom-assembled and modified by individuals, effectively ruling out the suspicion that they were stolen from military or state arsenals.

The announcement follows a broader investigation into the financial and digital asset transactions of Sun and his associates.

Investigators found that the suspect held five Thai bank accounts linked to a vast financial network involving more than 600 other accounts.

Furthermore, police discovered connections between these accounts and over 4,000 online fraud cases, which have collectively caused estimated damage of 815 million baht.

The legal proceedings against Sun’s network currently span seven separate cases, resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals so far. Among those detained, at least four have been identified as key members of a major call-centre scam network in Cambodia, reportedly operated by a suspect known as ‘Lan Tian’, or ‘Xiao Lan’.

Police are currently compiling evidence to support additional charges against Sun, including operating a transnational organised crime syndicate and money laundering.