Malaysian man nabbed in Thai border town with 2 rifles, ammunition in suspected arms trafficking case
The man was allegedly trying to smuggle two AR-15 style assault rifles and more than 400 rounds of ammunition into Malaysia.
Thai police found two disassembled AR-15 style assault rifles and more than 400 rounds of ammunition in a car driven by a Malaysian man. (Photos: Sadao police)
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KUALA LUMPUR: The arrest of a 45-year-old Malaysian man in Thailand found with two assault rifles and hundreds of bullets during a roadblock inspection last Saturday (Aug 30) has prompted Malaysia to tighten its border security.
Thai authorities suspect the case is linked to arms trafficking and also possibly associated with narcotics, but not connected to insurgent groups in Thailand's southern provinces, according to an official arrest report prepared by Sadao police seen by CNA.
The arrest came on the back of numerous high-profile shooting incidents in Malaysia in recent months.
The man was travelling towards the Sadao border - leading to Kedah state - in a Malaysia-registered car at about 5.35pm when he was stopped at a checkpoint in front of the Dannok police post, Thai police said.
They added that the driver behaved suspiciously and was directed for further checks, upon which officers found weapons and ammunition hidden in bags placed behind the driver’s seat.
These include two disassembled AR-15 style assault rifles and more than 400 rounds of ammunition, police said. The driver also tested positive for methamphetamine, the arrest report said.
The Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoints are a major border crossing between the two countries that links the Thai province of Songkhla to Kedah, with Dannok town just a few hundred metres away from the border.
The man is currently being held at Sadao police station for further investigation and questioning with the help of a translator, according to the arrest report.
The man told police he had received a WhatsApp call from a Malaysian friend on Saturday morning asking him to pick up a package at a temple in Songkhla province.
At the temple, an unidentified Thai man placed the bags with the weapons in his car, the man said in the police statement detailed in the arrest report.
Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah confirmed the arrest to Harian Metro - which first reported on the incident on Monday - saying that the Royal Malaysia Police had been informed of the case.
“Let the Thai authorities investigate first because we still do not know the purpose, whether it was meant to be used there or brought into this country,” he was quoted as saying.
Adzli also said that tighter controls have been enforced at the Bukit Kayu Hitam and Durian Burung border checkpoints in Kedah to prevent smuggling activities or the entry of prohibited items into the country, Berita Harian reported on Tuesday.
The Durian Burung checkpoint is about 60km east of Bukit Kayu Hitam.
On Tuesday, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail said Malaysia will dispatch officers to Thailand to conduct a detailed investigation into the case.
“Investigations are ongoing, including allegations that the weapons were intended to be smuggled into Malaysia,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
“So far, only one individual has been arrested, but the probe will be expanded to determine the modus operandi and the organisation behind this activity.”
In February, Israeli national Shalom Avitan was sentenced to seven years’ jail after he pleaded guilty to possessing 200 rounds of ammunition and six guns in Malaysia in 2024.
According to Malaysian police, the 39-year-old paid a married Malaysian couple about RM10,000 (US$2,104.82) for each of the six guns, which were smuggled from neighbouring Thailand.
The unlicensed weapons and ammunition were discovered in a hotel room on Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur between Mar 26 and Mar 28, 2024.
Avitan was then detained on Mar 28 and told Malaysian police that he was in the country to hunt down a fellow Israeli.
