A man from Australia was apprehended in Thailand after reportedly being found with a handgun and 96 rounds of ammunition in his backpack at an airport.
Immigration Police in the Surat Thani Province stated on Thursday that a 41-year-old man from Sydney, Mark Bassal, was arrested at the Samui Airport on Koh Samui at approximately 1:00 p.m.
In a now-deleted post, authorities claimed that the weapon was discovered disassembled in Bassal’s luggage.
The 96 rounds of ammo were allegedly discovered in seven separate bags belonging to him.
Mark Bassal, 41, was arrested at Samui airport after an allegedly disassembled handgun and ammunition were discovered in his luggage
According to local media reports, Surat Thani Immigration chief Pol Col Suparuek Phankosol stated that Bassal was visiting the island with his family.
Reportedly, Bassal, his wife, and three children were attempting to board a flight from Ko Samui Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok when an x-ray security screening of their luggage uncovered the weapon parts.
Immediate contact with immigration officers resulted in Bassal’s arrest. He was sent to a local police station for interrogation.
He told investigators he bought the firearm in Ko Samui and believed it was allowed to possess in Thailand.
The police assert he purchased the pistol for “self-defense while traveling abroad.”
According to the Bangkok Post, Bassal’s family had plane tickets to Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi airport and planned to return to Sydney through Singapore.
The Bangkok Post adds that Bassal, his wife, and three children had plane tickets to Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi airport and were to return to Sydney via Singapore before the claimed discovery of the gun parts.
Bassal informed police that he purchased the firearm in Ko Samui and assumed it was permissible to possess in Thailand (shown, Bassal’s luggage).
The Sydney guy has been charged with illegal firearm possession and released on bail to appear in court at a later date.
Ko Samui is the second largest island in Thailand and a major tourist destination in the country’s eastern region.
Contact was made with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.
»Australian detained in Thailand after gun found in luggage: BassalMark«