Suspected gun seller arrested for fourth time

A man has been arrested in Lat Krabang district of Bangkok on charges of illegal possession and sale of firearms and ammunition.
It was the fourth arrest in six years for the suspect, who told police the business offered him a good living with earnings of up to 100,000 baht a month.
Chotetanaphat Phala, 38, was taken into custody at his home in the Ua-arthorn Lat Krabang 2 housing project. He faces charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, as well as repairing, modifying importing or selling firearms and ammunition for trade without a licence.
Police confiscated five modified BB guns found in a white Toyota vehicle, 12 Thai-made .38 single shot pistols found in a plastic bag in a wardrobe, two Thai-made 410 handguns and various types of ammunition and firearm parts.
A police online patrol unit discovered a Facebook page selling illegal firearms run by the suspect, who was a repeat offender, said Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thammasuthee, commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) Investigation Division.
The suspect had applied for bail during the appeal process of his previous charges. (Story continues below)
Pol Maj Gen Theeradet said investigators on Thursday discovered the suspect had skipped bail and rented a room in the housing project on Prachapattana Road.
When they went there, they spotted the suspect walking in the parking lot and behaving suspiciously. After questioning and a search, the man admitted to having repeated firearms offences.
He reportedly told police that he had worked for a tyre manufacturing company for about 10 years. In 2018, driven by his interest in firearms, he purchased a single-shot shotgun. He subsequently decided to sell it through his Facebook account to earn money to buy modified blank guns.
After that, he began buying and selling more guns until he was earning about 300,000 baht a month, before he first got caught in 2019.
After two years in jail, police said, the suspect turned to farming, but continued to buy and sell guns. He got caught again in 2021 and was jailed for 12 months.
As he could not find a job after being released, he went backed to selling firearms and got caught a third time. He applied for bail during the appeal process and returned to the same occupation.
He admitted to selling an average of 30 to 50 firearms per month, with a profit of about 1,500 to 2,000 baht per gun, and monthly income ranging between 60,000 and 100,000 baht.
The suspect was later taken to the Chorakae Noi police station for legal proceedings.