The Banteay Meanchey provincial police sent two women to court on Wednesday accused of possessing more than 1.5kg of illegal drugs, while a 13-year-old boy was released after he was found not to be involved.
The authorities had detained the three on Sunday in Kampong Svay village in Sisophon town’s Kampong Svay commune.
Ngeng Sochea, the provincial deputy police chief in charge of drug enforcement, told The Post on Wednesday that after the police had questioned all three, it decided only to send the two women, who are 25 and 20 years old, to the provincial court for further action.
The drugs were seized as evidence by the provincial Anti-Drugs Bureau and Sisophon district police led by Sochea with the help of deputy provincial court prosecutor Teng Samay.
A provincial police headquarters report on Tuesday said the arrests followed an investigation by provincial Anti-Drugs Bureau and Sisophon district police into a suspected drugs ring.
Sochea said one of the women was a 25-year-old casino worker who was staying at the Holiday Palace Casino in Poipet town’s Poipet commune. The other suspect, he said, was a 20-year-old Cambodian Muslim clothing vendor from Kampong Svay village.
A boy was also present at the scene, Sochea said, but was educated by the authorities and allowed to return home after he was found to have no involvement with the drugs.
“The authorities carried out the raids and found the evidence in the suspects’ houses.
“The seized drugs included several small packets of transparent white powder, one big packet weighing 1.5kg and several small bottles of ecstasy tablets,” Sochea said.
He said the authorities had acted on the orders of Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Ath Khem to effectively execute the policy of keeping villages and communes safe and protecting residents.
As in other parts of the country, provincial and local authorities have this year been cracking down on drug use in clubs and other entertainment venues.
Sochea said specialised police forces would continue to take measures to find and bring more drug dealers to justice.
