Police in Khon Kaen and Chiang Rai arrested three people in possession of some 3,500 illegal firearms and nearly a million rounds of ammunition held in stock for online sales.
Pol Lt Gen Kornchai Klaiklueng, commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, said yesterday that police arrested a 38-year-old man identified only as Danunai in Khon Kaen as well as Sorawee and Kultirat, both 43, in Chiang Rai in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition worth about 50 million baht.
The arms were stored in five locations in the two provinces.
Police searched three houses belonging to Mr Danunai in tambon Sila of Khon Kaen's Muang district where they found 1,414 illegal rifles, 122 unregistered pistols and 920,000 rounds of ammunition.
In Chiang Rai, police searched two air gun shops in Muang district and found 1,786 unregistered rifles, 224 illegal pistols and 57,500 rounds of ammunition.
Pol Lt Gen Kornchai said Mr Danunai ordered firearms, ammunition and gun accessories from suppliers in Bangkok and southern provinces. The guns had been smuggled into the country from Indonesia, Sweden, the United States, Turkey, Spain and China.
He said Mr Danunai published a website to advertise the guns. The gang had operated for about five years and had over 50,000 customers nationwide, Pol Lt Gen Kornchai said.