November 14, 2024
PHNOM PENH – A 31-year-old Lao national was sent to Stung Treng Provincial Court on Tuesday, November 12 in connection with the illegal cross-border transportation of more than one million illegal pills seized at the Trapeang Kriel International Border Checkpoint.
Chhum Seang Hak, spokesperson for the provincial court, confirmed that the individual was still under interrogation by a prosecutor as of Tuesday afternoon.
Police forces at the checkpoint were inspecting a white Fortuner with Lao licence plate 1115 when the man attempted to cross into Cambodian territory on the morning of November 9.
Police arrested the suspect after discovering 167 packages of drugs in the vehicle. On the same day, the vehicle and evidence were handed over to the provincial police’s Anti-Drug Department for further procedures, under the coordination of Sin Soheng, deputy prosecutor of the court, according to Phay Raksmey, deputy provincial police chief in charge of anti-drug crime.
“The seized evidence includes 167 packages of methamphetamine [meth/WY] with a net weight of 93.973 kilogrammes, equivalent to approximately 1,034,413 pills,” Raksmey stated.
The suspect, identified as Vue Yeng, is a resident of Laos, holding passport number P1859439. Other confiscated items included a vehicle, three mobile phones and related documents.
The operation involved collaboration from Border Protection Unit 701 and specialised forces from the Borei O’Svay Senchey District Police Inspectorate.
In a separate incident on October 30, a joint force seized over 300 kilogrammes of ketamine in O’Svay village in the province’s Borei O’Svay Senchey district where another Lao national, aged 27, was also arrested.
Over the past year, authorities have cracked down on 10,008 drug-related cases, arresting 27,817 suspects and confiscating more than seven tonnes of drugs. PHOTO: STRUNG TRENG PROVINCIAL POLICE/THE PHNOM PENH POST
Seang Hak confirmed that the individual involved in the case was charged and placed in pre-trial detention at the provincial prison, though he could not recall the specific charges.
Over the past year, authorities have cracked down on 10,008 drug-related cases, arresting 27,817 suspects and confiscating more than seven tonnes of drugs.
Meas Virith, secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), reported in a recent management meeting that drug production and smuggling activities are increasing in various regions, including Central America, the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle, with expanded processing of both natural and synthetic drugs.
He said organised traffickers have been intensifying efforts to transport drugs to consumer markets, including smuggling chemical precursors into production zones and laundering drug trafficking proceeds.
In Cambodia, most of the drugs seized originate from the Golden Triangle – the region where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet – entering through the northeast and northwest borders. The illicit drugs include meth, ketamine, heroin and new synthetic drugs.
The NACD also discovered abandoned precursor chemicals, including sulphuric acid, in the province’s Siem Pang district.
Virith called for intensified border patrols and enhanced investigative and enforcement capabilities to prevent criminal groups from exploiting opportunities to produce drugs within the country.