The suspects arrested with over 600kg of drugs in Phnom Penh on March 21. ANTI-DRUG DEPARTMENT
Over 700kg of illegal drugs were seized and six people sent to court in two separate cases following police operations on March 21 and March 22.
According to In Song, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Drug Department, the first case involved four related raids – three in the capital and one in Preah Sihanouk province.
The case involved over 600kg of various illegal drugs including 510kg of ketamine, 2kg of methamphetamines, 51kg of MDMA or ecstasy, over 20kg of nimetazepam and 11kg of FUB-AMB – a synthetic cannabinoid often used to coat plant materials in order to sell it as naturally-grown marijuana.
There were also 6kg of various other substances believed to be drugs that have yet to be identified.
Song said that his anti-drug department officers collaborated with the Phnom Penh municipal police and Preah Sihanouk provincial police to investigate and arrest three suspects from Taiwan in raids on four different places in the capital and the coastal province on March 21.
The raids were coordinated by Phnom Municipal Court deputy prosecutor Seth Vannak and Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court deputy prosecutor Penh Piseth.
Song said the more than 600kg of drugs seized in the case were intended for transshipment to other countries from Cambodia, but he declined to name which were to be the final destinations.
In the second case, the ministry’s anti-drug department officers – in collaboration with the Phnom Penh municipal police – busted a drug trafficking and processing operation that resulted in the seizure of more than 100kg of illegal drugs at three different locations in the capital on March 22.
The department said the operation was also planned in coordination with municipal court deputy prosecutor Vannak.
The first location raided was on National Road 4 in Bek Chan commune of Kandal province’s Ang Snuol district just outside the capital. The second and third locations were residential buildings in Phnom Penh Thmey commune of the captial’s Sen Sok district.
Police arrested three suspects – all from Taiwan – and seized nearly 100kg of ketamine, over 7kg of MDMA or ecstasy and smaller quantities of methamphetamines and nimetazepam. The drugs seized totalled to more than 107kg.
“Both cases involving the six suspects are under Phnom Penh [Municipal Court’s] jurisdiction. In Preah Sihanouk province the drugs were seized only after the suspects were arrested in the capital. All of them were sent to court on March 25,” Song said.
Phlong Sophal, spokesman for the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, confirmed that the court had received the cases but he had no updated information on the charges that will be brought against the suspects as of March 27.
