A 31-year-old Vietnamese man was sent to the Kandal Provincial Court on Tuesday after he was arrested for involvement with producing and selling electric fishing devices on Facebook in Dei Ith commune, Kien Svay district on Sunday.

The Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Cybercrime Department director Chea Pov said on Tuesday that his officials had already questioned and sent the suspect to court.

“We sent him to the provincial court after questioning, but I don’t know if he has been charged yet,” Pov said.

Provincial court spokesman So Sarin could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Pov said his department was instructed to crack down on the case by Neth Savoeun, the National Police Chief, on the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ General Department of Fisheries Administration.

Tin Sochetra, the provincial deputy prosecutor, also cooperated in the crackdown.

As a result, he said his department detained the suspect at his home in the commune and confiscated two sets of electric fishing equipment, which he was producing.

They also searched his home and additionally found and seized nine sets of electric fishing equipment, which were ready for sale.

“Posting electric fishing tools is not a crime, but selling them is illegal.

“Electric fishing equipment is destroying our fish, and it is a crime as stated in the Law on Fisheries,” Pov said.

He said the suspect was a repairman who learned how to produce electric fishing equipment. After making the illegal equipment, he used Facebook to sell it to people in Kampong Cham, Ratanakkiri, Pursat and Takeo provinces.

In another case, a joint force in Kampong Chhnang province cracked down on illegal fishing in Cholkiri district’s Kampong Os commune, confiscating some 200m of fishing nets and two wooden boats on Monday, said the National Police.