Cambodia arrests 10,545 drug-related suspects in 1st 8 months

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian authorities have arrested 10,545 drug-related suspects, including 154 foreigners in 4,384 cases during the first eight months of this year, said an Anti-Drug Police Department (ADP)’s report.

About half of the suspects were drug users, and the other half were drug traffickers, manufacturers and transporters, the report added on Thursday.

“A total of 6.11 ton of illicit drugs, 32.8 kg of dry marijuana, and 28,061 marijuana plants were seized from those suspects from January to August 2022,” the report said, adding that 476 ton of chemical substance used for drug manufacturing were also confiscated.

The authorities have also impounded 38 homemade rifles, 17 pistols, 97 cars, 959 motorbikes, 3,706 telephones and 266 scales, and some cash, it said.

The seized drugs included heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills, cathinone and ketamine, among others, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the entirety of 2021, the Southeast Asian country arrested 13,765 drug suspects, including 362 foreigners, seizing about 4.43 ton of illicit drugs, according to the ADP.

Cambodia has no death sentence for drug traffickers. Under its law, those found guilty of trafficking more than 80 gram of illicit drugs could be jailed for life.