Police in Preah Sihanouk province yesterday arrested a British national in a guesthouse for alleged drug possession.

Brigadier General Chuon Narin, the newly appointed police chief for the province, said his officers had been investigating 33-year old Robert John Skillin before making the arrest in Sihanoukville town yesterday afternoon. Police allegedly seized several illicit drugs from Skillin, including ice and ecstasy. They also found $2,000 in cash and impounded a motorbike.

Narin said the Brit would be sent to court today.

Skillin’s arrest marks the first time a foreigner has been picked up for alleged crimes since Narin was last week appointed as the coastal province’s new police chief. His predecessor, Seang Kosal, had been lambasted by Interior Minister Sar Kheng for failing to stem crimes committed by and against foreigners in the tourist hub.

Numerous violent incidents in recent months, several believed to be linked to ongoing disputes between Russians in Sihanoukville, have shined the spotlight on crime in the area.

“Cambodia looks so bad . . . When we advertise [it as the Kingdom of Wonder], ‘wonder’ in what way? If [tourists] come, they are robbed and treated badly,” Kheng said last week.