Police arrested two Vietnamese nationals and their Cambodian driver around midday Wednesday in Battambang province after searching their car and discovering that the men were transporting 31 air guns modeled on real battlefield weapons, police said.
“Thirty-one Taiwanese-made weapons with hundreds of [plastic pellet] bullets in boxes were seized by mobile customs officials cooperating with Thma Koul district police on National Road 5 in Battambang,” provincial police chief Sar Thet said.
Mr. Thet said that among the seized pellet guns were 18 rifles and 13 handguns, adding that local police in Battambang were tipped off by suspicious customs officials along the Thai border in Poipet City.
“Now our police experts are handling these weapons, including the plastic bullets, to file a report with the Ministry of Interior to receive orders on how we should process the case,” Mr. Thet said.
Deputy Battambang police chief Chet Vanny said that police were working to determine what the air guns, which the suspects admitted were purchased in Thailand, were to be used for.
“We are learning about the capacity of these weapons and their power,” Mr. Vanny said.
The suspects are being detained at the Battambang provincial police station for questioning, Mr. Vanny said.
