Over 1.5 tonnes of drugs seized off Sihanoukville, 5 arrested

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

The anti-drug police force emerged successful in yet another major crackdown conducted on January 20 midnight. 

In the Monday midnight major drug overhaul, the police in the Anti-Drug Department of the Ministry of Interior, in coordination with Preah Sihanouk provincial anti-drug police and maritime police, seized more than 1.56 tonnes of narcotics off Sihanoukville from five suspects, comprising two Chinese, two Taiwanese and a Filipino. 

Lieutenant General Khoeng Sarath, Chief of Anti-Drug Department in the Ministry of Interior, told a press conference yesterday that the arrests in Preah Sihanouk province were made at about 3 am on Monday midnight on two speedboats parked in the middle of the sea in the province’s Stung Hav district. 



The another crackdown on Monday was carried out around the same time along the Laos border in Preah Vihear province and the anti-drug police nabbed three men involved in trafficking of 1,020 kilogrammes of methamphetamine. 

Explaining the arrests in Preah Sihanouk, Lt Gen Sarath said, “Our anti-drug police officers had spent almost a year in researching and following the suspects’ activities to make this largest drug crackdown to happen. Police followed their activities from Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk province.” 

He said that the police also seized a total of 67 sacks of ketamine and methamphetamine (or ice), totally weighing 1,566 kilogrammes, two speedboats, two wooden boats, one motorbike, five mobile phones, two passports and other related materials from them. 

“The police in the anti-drug department in the Ministry of Interior had cracked down on many drug trafficking cases. But this is the biggest case that the police had handled so far this year,” Lt Gen Sarath told the press conference yesterday.




 Lt Gen Sarath added that the five suspects are being temporarily detained at the Anti-Drug Department in the Ministry of Interior for questioning and further investigation. On completion of the investigation, they will be sent to the court to charge sheet them. 

He added that the five suspects were arrested for transporting the drugs from Thailand and attempting to smuggle it into Sihanoukville by sea and the amount of drugs seized is the largest so far this year. 

According to the police report, the Chinese were identified as Shi Yuan and Huang Xiao Yu, while the Taiwanese were Li Zhong and Huang Zhi Hong, and the Filipino was named Luo Shun. 

If found guilty, the suspects will be charged with “drug possession, transport and trafficking” and each face a jail term up to life sentence. 

The two simultaneous raids helped the authorities to bust drug smugglers trying to find a safe haven for their illegal activities in the country and stop more than two tonnes of meth being circulated in the country.

 

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