Acting on a tip off from local people that Coutelas might have a gun, police visited the Green Mango apartment block on Nanai Rd in the early afternoon.
Not sure which apartment he lived in, they asked a Thai woman who was going into the building who she was going to visit. By lucky coincidence she said she was going to visit Coutelas.
Asking the owner of the block to accompany them as a witness, they went with the woman, “Jum”, to the apartment. She knocked on the door and called his name.
Police said that when Coutelas opened the door, his face registered shock when he saw the Narcotics Police ID held up to his face.
As police came into the apartment, Coutelas sat down and tried to negotiate, offering to tell police where his gun was in exchange for them not charging him with drug possession.
He then revealed that he was sitting on the gun, a 9mm Glock 17 pistol.
Police searched the room, finding 0.53 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice), two pipes for smoking the drug, and 10 bullets for the Glock.
They also found two BB replica guns, a collection of gun magazines and hundreds of knives – Coutelas told police he was selling knives over the Internet.
He was charged with unlicensed possession of a handgun and ammunition, and with possession of a Category 1 drug.
Additional reporting by Anthika Muangrod