Cambodia records spike in drug arrests and seizures in first nine months of 2022

PHNOM PENH, Oct 1 (Xinhua): Cambodia has seen a spike in both drug arrests and seizures during the first nine months of 2022, said a report released by the Anti-Drug Police Department (ADP) on Saturday.

The authorities had detained 11,431 drug-related suspects during the January-September period this year, up 16 percent from 9,828 over the same period last year, the report said, adding that some 6.25 tons of narcotics had been seized, up almost 5 times from 1.05 tons last year.

According to the report, some 4.77 tons of unfinished ketamine, 476 tons of chemical substances, 23 pistols, 49 rifles, 119 cars, 1,183 motorbikes, 4,381 telephones, and 329 scales had also been confiscated from the suspects.

The seized narcotics this year included heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills, and cathinone, among others.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Thursday that the government was committed to cracking down on all forms of crimes including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation.

He advised all competent authorities and other stakeholders to join hands in preventing Cambodia from becoming a haven for organized crime groups engaged in human trafficking and drug trafficking.

The South-East Asian nation has no death sentence for drug traffickers. Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be jailed for life. - Xinhua