SUNGAI GOLOK (THAILAND):Thai police have identified two types of firearms, the Glock and .38 revolver which were the most sought after by criminals in the sub-province and Malaysia.
Sungai Golok police chief Colonel Pratya Baite said these guns were smuggled from abroad and mostly used by those involved in drug smuggling activities.
"This guns, however, are not from Thailand. They were smuggled to Thailand by local criminals. Some of them obtained the weapon from dealers in the southern areas outside Bangkok.
"Based on series of arrests made by Sungai Golok police against the suspects found with the guns, they admitted that the weapons will be sent to their counterpart in Malaysia especially those in Kelantan.
"The revolvers and the glock guns will be smuggled out from Sungai Golok sub-province via the many illegal jetties bordering with Kelantan.
"It is hard to catch them with the guns as they normally change their modus of operandi in sending the items across the border," he told the New Straits Times.
Pratya said the guns were priced up to 10,000 baht (RM1,200) each in Thailand.
"When it is sold to their Malaysian counterparts, their prices will be a little bit higher. These criminals will use the weapons to protect themselves or for their activities," he added.
Asked on the number of Malaysians caught for having the guns in the sub-province, Pratya said the cases involving Malaysians on possession guns were not serious.
"We only recorded a few cases of Malaysians detained with guns but cases involving locals (Thais) are alarming.
"We seize at least two guns in a month and although the number is small, it is still worrying us," he added.
He added that Thai police have been working closely with its Kelantan counterpart to curb the smuggling of firearms from taking place along their borders.