Chinese man jailed 46 years over Pattaya weapons cache

Pattaya — 4 August 2026 — A Chinese national, Mingchen Sun, has been handed a 46-year prison sentence after admitting guilt to illegally possessing a large arsenal of weapons and explosives in Pattaya. The Provincial Court ruled against Sun on Sunday, following his conviction on charges of possessing firearms, ammunition, explosives, military gear, and radio communication devices.

Police intercepted the items on May 8, including Glock 9mm pistols, M4 and M16 rifles, C4 explosives, bomb-making materials, bulletproof vests, signal jammers, and communication devices.

Sun acknowledged all charges during the trial, and the court acknowledged that the offense breached multiple laws, including firearm, military equipment control, and radio communication regulations. While the defendant's guilty plea was beneficial to the court, the scale and nature of the weapons cache presented a significant threat to public safety and national security.

Consequently, the court reduced the sentence by one-third before sentencing Sun to 44 years and 24 months, totaling 46 years in prison. The second defendant in the case declined to answer the charges. The court adjourned that case, permitting prosecutors 15 days to file a new case and keeping the defendant in custody until further notice.

The court also demanded the seizure of all confiscated items, including firearms, ammunition, explosives, body armor, chemical-protection masks, signal-jamming equipment, remote-control transmitters, and other military-grade gear.