Banteay Meanchey Agriculture Department officials seized 146 cases of unlicensed fertiliser and chemical pesticides imported from Thailand near the Cambodia-Thai border in the province’s Malai district yesterday.

Following a tip-off, police investigated the area and found a truck filled with chemicals without logos or licenses from the Agriculture Ministry.

“The truck’s driver told us that they all belonged to a man named Kong Narin, who is being investigated after we discovered 127 cases of fertiliser and 21 bags of chemical substances in his storage warehouse last week,” Provincial Agriculture Department legal director Seng Meng said.

According to the country’s inspection laws, individuals who import fertilisers illegally will be sentenced to two to five years in prison.

The chemicals found in Narin’s warehouse, provincial anti-economic crime deputy police chief Chab Sotharith said, contained poisonous compounds like Paraquat, which is banned by the Agriculture Ministry and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Narin could not be reached for comment.