BURI RAM - Two teenagers have been arrested for possession of 98 M79 grenades and 181 live bullets and allegedly selling the weapons on Facebook.
Senior military, police and local officials called a media conference at the 26th Military Circle in Buri Ram on Thursday after the discovery of the munitions on Wednesday afternoon.
They said the 98 grenades, along with 100 .38 calibre bullets, 50 .380 bullets, 21 tracer bullets, 10 assault rifle bullets, 378 rubber holders for M79 grenades, and a homemade .38 pistol were found at a house in Ban Phueng Ton village of Ban Bua sub-district in Muang Buri Ram district.
Two young males, aged 17 and 18, were arrested during the raid on Wednesday. The elder youth lived at the house and allegedly operated the illegal business with his younger friend. They were not present at the media conference, and were not named.
Maj-Gen Dej-udom Nicharat, chief of the 26th Military Circle in Buri Ram, said the two youths had admitted they ordered the munitions via Facebook from a supplier in a border area in the eastern region, advertised them on Facebook and delivered them to buyers by mail.
He said that they bought M79 grenades at 900 baht apiece, and resold them at 1,700 baht each. They had moved the munitions to the house where they were discovered after a friend in their network had been arrested.
Authorities were tracing their accomplices, Maj-Gen Dej-udom said.