Kampong Speu police plan to send a 30-year-old man to the provincial court on Monday for trafficking in drugs and illegal possession of weapons in Odong district’s Chan Sen commune.

Deputy provincial police chief in charge of anti-drug crimes Math Thuch said on Sunday that police arrested the suspect on March 27 in Kraing Tumnop village, Chan Sen commune, on suspicion of committing drug crimes and hiding weapons.

“Expert officers are questioning him, after which we will send him to court on Monday for further legal action,” he said.

Odong district police chief Khim Samon said police investigated the case after getting a tip-off from residents in the vicinity. At about 3:10pm on March 27, the suspect was about to sell drugs in the village when he was arrested. Upon checking him, police found four small packages of methamphetamine.

“We questioned him about drug related-issues and this led to the discovery of hidden weapons,” he said, adding that they were found when police searched his home and recovered two homemade rifles, 10 machetes, seven swords and some other drug-related paraphernalia.

The suspect confessed that he bought the drug from a stranger and planned to sell it in the area. He said he kept the weapons at his home for use only, not for committing crimes.

Samon said even though the suspect did not confess to possessing the weapons, police believe he planned to use it to commit crimes as he had too many of them. Police are investigating further to identify his network.

In regards to the weapons themselves, Samon said police searched and arrested 11 people on March 27 for using swords to rob passengers. The suspects were sent to court and charged on March 28.