Police hunt for ringleaders after seizure of nearly one tonne ice off Sihanoukville

 


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

Major General Chuon Narin, Provincial Police Chief of Preah Sihanouk, said yesterday that a search has begun for ringleaders in connection with the arrest of five Chinese men who arrived with 924kg ice or crystal meth off the coast in Preah Sihanouk on Wednesday.  

Maj. Gen. Narin said that Preah Sihanouk provincial police in collaboration with the police in the anti-drug department at the Ministry of Interior and marine border protection force arrested the five Chinese suspects from a speed boat on the waters of Sihanoukville. 

Maj. General Narin, however, declined to say from where the drugs were smuggled and to which location the suspects were heading.

He added, “The suspects were planning to transport these drugs from Sihanoukville to a third country. Our experts are still trying to crack the case as we doubt there are more suspects who have been at large.” 



Lt Gen Touch Phaleak, Chief of Maritime Border Protection Department at the Ministry of Interior, said yesterday that the maritime police officers got a tip-off about the drug trafficking from the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Drug Department on Tuesday. 

Soon after receiving the information, Lt Gen Phaleak said, he informed and led the maritime border police force along with provincial police and anti-drug police who launched a patrol on the waters and saw the speedboat at an island named Koh Preay located off the Muoy commune in Sihanoukville. 

The joint police forces stopped the speedboat and arrested the five Chinese and all of them were sent to temporary detention at the Preah Sihanouk provincial police headquarters.

The suspects face charges of ‘drug possession, transport and trafficking’ and if convicted, they will be sent to jail for life. 

They will be sent to the court for questioning today. 



Separately, on Wednesday, the anti-drug department police at the Ministry of Interior arrested a suspected drug trafficker and seized more than 18 kilogrammes of ice, ketamine and ecstasies in Phnom Penh’s Boeng Keng Kang district. 

Lt Col Kim Bunheng, Deputy Police Chief at Anti-drug Office said yesterday that the suspect identified as Heng Sovannborey, male, 41, was arrested from his rented apartment in Tumnob commune on Wednesday afternoon.



 He will also be sent to the court for further proceedings today. 

 


 


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