CHACHOENGSAO: Three M4A1 rifles and 964 rounds of ammunition were found hidden in a cassava plantation in Phanom Sarakham district on Saturday, police said.
Pol Capt Suriyan Kaewpitoon, a Phanom Sarakham police duty officer, said the weapons were found at about 6pm by a tractor driver ploughing the ground around a pond in the plantation in tambon Ko Khanun.
Noo Kaewroj, the tractor driver, said he saw a large PVC pipe, about 1 metre long and 10 inches in circumference, dumped in the bushes near the pond. He opened the covers at both ends of the pipe and found inside it three M4A1 rifles, four magazines and fertiliser bags containing the 5.56mm ammunition.
The driver informed his employer, who subsequently reported the discovery to the police.
A team of police and administrative officials was sent to the scene.
The materials were brought to Phanom Sarakham police station for further investigation.
