Police have seized more than 300 guns, over 3,500 rounds of ammunition of various calibres and arrested 51 suspects in nationwide crackdown of illegal firearms.

The seized firearms, many of them handguns and some military weapons, were displayed to the media at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).

CIB Commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Jirapob Phuridet said today (Friday) that the crackdown was prompted by a spike in crime involving the use of firearms, adding that the police operation targeted venues suspected of producing illegal weapons and the online trade in illegal firearms.

Most of the illegal weapons were seized in Chiang Rai, Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Suphan Buri and Pathum Thani provinces.

He said some suspects admitted that weapons had been smuggled into Thailand from a neighbouring country, adding that the seized guns will be forensically tested to find out any are linked to criminal activity.