Three Takeo provincial military police officers, including a deputy commander, have been arrested for drug offenses and are being questioned by the Kandal Provincial Military Police Command.

The arrests – made on the orders of General Sao Sokha, Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Commander of the National Gendarmerie – were carried out on January 1.

“Interrogation proceedings are still ongoing at the Kandal Provincial Military Police Command. No results yet, let's see,” a military official told The Post on Friday morning.

The three officers were identified as Lieutenant Colonel Nget Chanthy, deputy commander of Takeo Provincial Gendarmerie, Luy Sarom, Trang Kak district military police chief of staff, and Sin Sovannarith, assistant to the provincial anti-drug office.

A military police official who answered the phone at the Takeo Provincial Military Police Command declined to comment on the case.

National military police spokesperson Eng Hy explained on January 2 that judicial military police officers were conducting the investigation into the actions of the three officers, who were arrested in coordination with a prosecutor.

“The investigation has not ended, so it is not yet possible to provide detailed information to the public. The military police will issue a public statement after the procedure is completed,” he added.

In the one month period from December 1 to 31, 2024, the capital and provincial courts handled a total of 406 drug-related cases with 1,146 suspects.  Of them, 876 were arrested, according to a statement by the Ministry of Justice.

The ministry stated that strict measures are employed to enforce the law in drug cases, as part of the courts’ responsibility to protect public order and safeguard the well-being of the public.

It called for members of the public to avoid becoming involved with drug crimes and urged them to report any such cases they become aware of to the relevant authorities.