The number of drug cases has almost tripled so far this year, the General Director of the Anti-Drug Department told the Post yesterday.

Major General Khieu Samorn, also Acting General Secretary of the Ministry of Interior’s National Authority for Combating Drugs said police had cracked down on 452 cases of drug distribution, trafficking and production cases so far this year. In the same period last year there were only 145 cases, he said.

Methampethamine pills were the most common drug seized, with more than 150,000 pills seized so far this year, or about 15 kilograms of the stimulant, he said. By comparison, police had seized less than 1,400 ecstasy pills.

“I think the reason we have been able to crack down on all kinds of these drug trafficking activities is because we have a strong commitment to do it and we are  working very hard to combat drug use and sales,” he said.

Police had also netted large quantities of percursor chemicals and substances used to make drugs, he said. Cambodian police were cracking down on trafficking, distributing, production and use, and the crackdown would intensify, he said.