Thai village deputy chief arrested with 46 guns

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Police seized 46 illegal firearms during the raid and arrest of Danupol Yompong “Bell 100 Guns” at his house in Plutaluang.

Danupol Yompong, 31, was taken into custody in a navy housing complex in Plutaluang Sept. 14 on an arrest warrant issued in Nong Khai with officers seizing 46 illegal firearms. He was not hard to find, as his self-styled nickname is “Bell 100 Guns.”

The deputy village chief from Samae San Subdistrict was charged with a battery of illegal weapons charges, along with customs and excise tax violations.



The warrant and arrest stem from weapons-possession arrests made in Nong Khai. Suspects there claimed they purchased the weapons from Danupol. He will be transferred to authorities in Issan.

Among the 46 guns, 30 were handguns, 26 were semi-automatic and 16 were rifles. All but three were stamped to be used only for sport shooting or hunting under Danapol’s name.
Police believe the other three may be accomplices in an underground gun-trading network.

Danupol Yompong (center, wearing Smith & Wesson shirt), the 31-year-old asst. village headman of Samaesarn sub-district, is believed to be part of an underground gun-trading network.



Among the 46 guns found, 30 were handguns, 26 were semi-automatic and 16 were rifles.