Sihanoukville Drug Ring Dismantled; 87 Suspects Sent to Court

The Preah Sihanouk Provincial Gendarmerie has dismantled what it has described as “a major drug ring”, arresting 87 dealers and users, and seizing more than one kilogramme of narcotics. A large-scale crackdown was carried out between July 17 and July 22, in Phum Thmey, village and commune 3, Preah Sihanouk town, an area authorities identified as a drug “red zone”. Authorities said the several of the suspects, which included nine women, were identified as ringleaders and members of the trafficking network. The drugs in question were believed to be methamphetamine, although this had not been confirmed by authorities at time of publication. Investigators later expanded the operation into Kampong Speu province and Phnom Penh, where they arrested an additional woman, alleged to be a major “kingpin” in the network, and confiscated further evidence. The suspects and evidence were transferred to the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court on July 27. Authorities described the operation as reflecting the Royal Gendarmerie’s commitment to combating drug-related crime and maintaining public security. The operation was part of a broader nationwide anti-drug campaign. During the first six months of the year, Cambodian authorities seized more than four tonnes of narcotics and precursor chemicals and arrested more than 12,000 people in connection with drug offences. Speaking during a June 24 mid-year review of the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), Meas Virith, secretary-general of the authority, said law enforcement agencies investigated 4,759 drug-related cases during the first half of the year. Those operations resulted in the arrest of 12,194 suspects, including 763 women and 664 foreign nationals. Authorities confiscated approximately 2.387 tonnes of narcotics and 1.743 tonnes of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of synthetic narcotics, Virith added.