Authorities combined forces to follow evidence tracking suspects involved in a fuel station bombing in Narathiwat Province. They discovered an illegal fuel warehouse in a dead-end alley, suspected of smuggling fuel from Malaysia, seizing more than 9,230 liters of contraband.
At 17:00 on 14 Jan 2016, Mr. Supiyan Damerleng, Chief District Officer of Su-ngai Kolok District, Narathiwat Province, along with Pol. Maj. Gen. Chumphon Saksureemongkol, Commander of the Southern Border Provinces Police, Lt. Col. Peeraphong Wongjiracharoenkul, Commander of the 33rd Naval Task Force, Pol. Col. Than Sirikhun, Superintendent of Su-ngai Kolok Police Station, officials from the Department of Special Investigation and the Institute of Forensic Science, and military personnel from the 5th Ranger Company jointly coordinated to track movements, follow clues, and pursue suspects involved in the bombing at the Ban Gwalo Sira fuel station, Village No. 3, Pa Samat Subdistrict, Su-ngai Kolok District, along the border area of Su-ngai Kolok.
During the operation, they found a warehouse located in a dead-end alley opposite a fuel station, with over 30 vehicles including trailers, pickup trucks, and 10-wheel trucks. At the rear of a pickup truck, they found fuel cans. The warehouse owner, Mr. Wa Asa Yanya, 55, was present, prompting officials to request an inspection.
At the port area, they found four boats with engines docked, along with two electric fuel pumps on the shore and four steel tanks each holding 200 liters. Inside the warehouse, numerous plastic fuel cans of various colors filled with gasoline and diesel were discovered.
Officials also found plastic fuel containers on the backs of several pickup trucks. Notably, several trailers had modified fuel tanks, increasing capacity to 1,200 liters. Suspicious of these alterations, officials questioned Mr. Wa Asa Yanya, but his answers were deemed unreliable.
Collecting the illicit gasoline and diesel stored across six locations, officials found a total of 9,230 liters—1,200 liters of gasoline and 8,030 liters of diesel. They coordinated with excise officers from Su-ngai Kolok District to verify that the fuel was likely smuggled from Malaysia. Previously, illegal fuel traders purchased diesel at 27 baht per liter in Malaysia and sold it locally at 30 baht per liter; gasoline was bought at 23 baht and sold at 26 baht per liter, yielding a profit of 3 baht per liter. Authorities seized the contraband and detained Mr. Wa Asa Yanya, handing him over to Su-ngai Kolok Police for legal proceedings.
