Duo jailed 30 years each for drugs

                                          

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

A Vietnamese and a Cambodian were jailed 30 years each for trafficking in 25kgs of various drugs in 2021. 

Accusations against a third suspect who was jointly charged with the duo, a 71-year-old Singaporean, were dropped by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday. 

Presiding Judge Sar Samnang said the court that Goh Seow Sian said the court found that Goh Seow Sian was not involved in the drug activities and ordered his release from prison. 

Goh was jointly with Vietnamese Ly Chaong Phong, 29, and Taing Lak,  62 for drug possession, trafficking and production under Articles 39 and 40 of Cambodian Law on Drug Control.

“The Phnom Penh Municipal Court finds Taing Lak and Ly Chaong Phong guilty of the charges and sentence them 30 years in prison each and a fine of 80 million Riel ($20,000) each.  

“There is no guilt for the accused Goh Seow Sian. Therefore, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to drop his charges and order to release him from prison if he does not have another criminal case in court,” Judge Samnang said in his judgment. 

The the three men were arrested on November 25, 2021 after anti-narcortics police led by the court’s deputy prosecutor raided their two rental houses in Chamkarmon district’s Boeng Trabek commune, and in Toul Kork district’s Phsar Depo II commune. 

During the raids, police seized the drugs - ice, ecstasy and ketamine - as well as other related drug material and equipment from the houses. 

Goh described the court judgment as “justice served”. 

“I am happy as the Cambodian court found the truth and justice for me. I was innocent but I was imprisoned for nearly two years in prison,” he said yesterday.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laotian gets life for drug trafficking

Image
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has sentenced a Laotian drug trafficker to life imprisonment after the 42-year-old was convicted of trafficking about 7 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Presiding Judge Sin Sovannroath said Houa Choua was from Champasak province’s Moeung Khong district, Laos.     “The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to sentence the accused Houa Choua to a life sentence and a fine of 100 million riels,” Judge Sovannroath said in his judgment yesterday.   He said that the accused was charged with “drug possessing, transport and trafficking” under Article 40 of Cambodian Law on Drugs Control and with “money Laundering” under Articles 38 of the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Financing.   Judge Sovannroath stated that Houa Choua was arrested by police at a guesthouse in Por Senchey district’s Kakab commune on October 16, 2022, night.  Houa Choua was detained after he had transported the drugs by car from the Cambodia-Lao border in
Read more

Sorn Elit, the Tallest Cambodian Taekwando Champion

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA There are 18 Taekwondo fighters on the national team, according to Hem Samnang, Secretary General of the Cambodian Taekwondo Federation (CTF). He was speaking to The Southeast Asia Weekly on July 22. The Secretary General said that Sorn Elit, 22, is currently the best Taekwondo fighter in Cambodia. He has attended many competitions both at home and abroad and has achieved success in both fields. In 2008, he won the national heavyweight title in the Taekwondo championships. “I am very proud of Sorn Elit as he is the best fighter in Cambodia,” Samnang said. “I believe that he will continue to bring honor to the country, the sport and himself as he competes in still more competitions at home and in the international fighting arena. He is completely committed to his training schedule and is a credit to the sport.” The Secretary General said that to improve Elit’s skills, the CTF sent him to get Taekwondo training in South Korea over two weeks in 2007. The CTF plans
Read more

Chan Tra: Life of a Cambodian Traditional Tattoo Artist

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Among tattooists in Cambodia, Chan Tra, 46, is the only tattoo artist to retain the ability to ink a wide range of subjects in different styles. His modern counterparts are limited in their repertoire in comparison. His subjects include the human form, birds and abstract patterns. Chan Tra is now an expert in drawing Ankor Wat on the skin of foreign clients, thus turning them into walking, talking promotional materials for Cambodia’s tourist sector. Chan Tra was born in 1963 in Sihanouk province and has two sons and one daughter. He is an orphaned and a Survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. He lost his entire family during the years of terror between 1975 and 1979. “I have loved drawing and painting ever since I was a child and practised my art every day before the arrival of the Pol Pot regime. Consequently, I like the art of tattooing and it makes a solid source of income to keep my wife and kids happy,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly during a personal i
Read more