Thai police detain four Myanmar nationals in Bangkok for smuggling 10 heavy-lift cargo drones intended for Myanmar’s civil war.
BANGKOK: Thai police have arrested four Myanmar nationals in Bangkok for attempting to smuggle 10 heavy-lift cargo drones to their home country.
The suspects, who will be deported, were detained on Tuesday after a tip-off from a hotel where they were staying in the city’s suburbs.
Police Major General Prasong Anmanee said the group checked into the hotel on Sunday and received large boxes from a Thai courier on Monday.
“We went and checked and found out it was drones and those four do not have any licence or other documents,” the senior officer told AFP.
The Chinese-made DJI drones are capable of carrying 30 kilograms of weight.
“They said they had been ordered to bring drones to Myanmar,” Prasong said, adding they planned to disassemble the devices for delivery to a “boss” in Myanmar.
Police have not identified the alleged ringleader.
The use of drones has surged in Myanmar’s nearly five-year civil war, with the military and rebel groups using them to gain a strategic edge.
Myanmar ranks third globally for recorded drone sorties in conflicts, behind only Ukraine and Russia, according to a recent report.
The four suspects are being held for deportation after their visas were revoked for immigration violations.
Three were in Thailand on student visas without being enrolled in any university, while the fourth had overstayed their visa.
