Eight Nigerian nationals arrested in a raid on Sunday in the capital’s Por Sen Chey district were formally charged with drug trafficking yesterday at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, police said.

On October 26 at about 8:30pm, police raided an apartment in Trapaing Thloeung village and arrested nine Nigerian men, according to anti-drug police department head Major General Khieu Saman.

After the arrests, police seized more than half a kilogram of methamphetamines, two large packages of unidentified powdered drugs, two small packages of dried marijuana, two cars and three motorbikes.

The men were questioned at court yesterday. One of them was released after prosecutors found he had no connection to the alleged crime.

“One Nigerian man was released because he did not relate with this group,” Saman said. “He was a footballer who just appeared at the place when our anti-drug police forces surrounded it during the raid,” Saman said.