Police arrest 4, seize 27 kgs of illegal drugs in Phnom Penh

Police display nearly 30 kilograms of illegal drugs during a news conference on Thursday in Phnom Penh. Pha Lina

Police seized 27 kilograms of crystal meth, heroin and ketamine, and arrested two Taiwanese nationals and two Cambodians in Phnom Penh last week, the Ministry of Interior announced during a Thursday news conference.

Lee Hong Yu and Xu Yao Feng, both Taiwanese, were arrested on April 7 along with Cambodians Chhor Bunchhay and Sam Kokchheang, said Loek Vannak, head of the anti-drug department at the Ministry of Interior. The Taiwanese men were in possession of crystal meth at the time of the arrest and lead police to other locations around Phnom Penh where drugs were stashed, Vannak said.

In total, police seized 18 kilograms of crystal meth, referred to as ‘ice’ in Cambodia, 217.8 grams of heroin and 8 kgs of ketamine at three different locations, the ministry said in a news release. Ketamine is a powerful anaesthetic which can cause hallucinations.

“The ice was imported from Laos,” Vannak said.

Sieng Sok, deputy prosecutor at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said the men were charged with drug trafficking, which carries a penalty of up to life in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Contact author: Soth Koemsoeun

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Phnom Penh Post - Police arrest 4, seize 27 kgs of illegal drugs in Phnom Penh