The nine Vietnamese suspects arrested for drug offences and illegal firearm possession in Svay Rieng province. - Svay Rieng provincial police via Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network
PHNOM PENH (Phnom Penh Post/ANN): Authorities have seized over 26 kilogrammes of illegal drugs worth millions of dollars and arrested 42 individuals, including foreign nationals and Cambodians, for their involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Svay Rieng province near the Vietnamese border.
As of December 26, law enforcement dismantled four major drug trafficking cases during December alone, confiscating over 26.47 kilogrammes of narcotics in the province’s Bavet commune.
The suspects include Vietnamese, Chinese and Cambodian nationals, who now face charges of drug trafficking, drug use and illegal possession of firearms, according to a joint statement from Svay Rieng Provincial Court and the Anti-Drug Police Department.
Of the 42 suspects, 29 have been formally charged and are currently in detention, while 13 remain at large and are actively being pursued by authorities. The investigation also uncovered eight firearms, including 78 rounds of ammunition, one AK-47 rifle, a grenade and various drug-related equipment.
Bavet commune police chief Has Sara stated that large-scale drug operations like this one, often involving foreign nationals, are transnational crimes. However, he noted that suspects typically withhold details about their operations.
“While large-scale trafficking targets exportation, smaller amounts may be used domestically. However, these traffickers do not always cooperate fully with our investigation,” he said, adding that drug-related crimes are consistently pursued with no leniency, guided by real-time intelligence.
The 2024 World Drug Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted that Southeast Asia, a region historically marked by high methamphetamine use, has shown signs of stabilisation and decline in drug consumption.
This progress is linked to the government’s prioritisation of anti-drug efforts to support the country's sustainable development.
In one of the latest cases, 13 individuals of Cambodian, Vietnamese and Chinese nationality were charged with drug possession, trafficking and illegal firearms use.
These crimes occurred in central Bavet commune in Bavet town between 2022 and December 19. The suspects face severe penalties under Articles 40, 45, 48 and 53 of the Anti-Drug Law, Articles 8 and 24 of the Arms Control Law and Article 29 of the Criminal Code.
The evidence seized in these cases includes 6.5 kilogrammes of suspected narcotics such as methamphetamine, ketamine, dried cannabis and ecstasy, as well as four pieces of drug-related equipment, packaging materials, six handguns and one shotgun.
Prosecutors have also directed police to investigate potential links between the drug crimes and money laundering activities connected to the suspects. - Phnom Penh Post/ANN
