A 50-year-old man in San Sai district was running a gun workshop out of the back room of his house, according to police, and selling the product in a Facebook group with 22,000 members.
Officers from the News Analysis Division of Provincial Police Region 5’s Crime Suppression Division arrested the man, identified only as Duangchan (surname withheld), a resident of Mae Faek subdistrict, after searching his home at 301 Moo 3 under a Chiang Mai Provincial Court warrant. The case was announced today (October 7) by Region 5 commander Pol Lt Gen Pratya Prasansuk, alongside deputy commander Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Phongwiwatthanachai.
Police seized four PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) air rifles, two scopes, three separate air cylinders, lead-head pellets with the equipment for making them, 17 rounds of .22 ammunition, and assorted parts and assembly tools.
Police said they first noticed PCP air rifles being sold in a Facebook group called “Lom Sang Tai… by indom”, where one account, “Chai Chiwit Hai Khum Kha” (about 3,300 friends), was advertising them. Officers made contact online, set up a purchase, and that led them to the house.
Duangchan told investigators he had worked with PCP and high-power spring rifles for more than 15 years. He bought parts through Lazada and Shopee, assembled the guns at home, and sold them through the Facebook group for roughly 9,500 to 11,500 baht each. He sold two to five a month, which police put at 20,000 to 50,000 baht in monthly income before costs. More orders were already waiting to be filled.
He was charged with making, assembling, possessing or selling firearms or ammunition for trade without permission.
Pratya said the guns are illegal because the pressure can be pushed well beyond the original setting, turning them into weapons that can hurt people, and in some cases kill. Used for hunting, he added, they also do damage elsewhere.
Police urged anyone who has bought this kind of gun to think about the safety and legal risks, since the guns were made illegally. More arrests are expected as the investigation widens.