Two police officials and a civilian were arrested in Phnom Penh on Friday on suspicion of producing counterfeit whisky and trademark violations, officials said yesterday.

The men – who were all brothers – were arrested during a raid in Boeung Tumpun village, in Meanchey district’s Stung Meanchey commune, said Long Sreng, chief of the office for Combatting Economic Crimes at the Ministry of Interior.

“These people are thought to have illegally produced alcohol and stolen the trademarks of other alcohol companies for their own businesses in Cambodia,” he said.

Long Sreng said that police confiscated 64 cases of counterfeit Super Whisky, hundreds of bottles and labels bearing the Super Whisky, Johnnie Walker Black Label and Red Label trademarks, 200 millilitres of whiskey ingredients, alcohol production machinery and other alcohol-related materials. Long Sreng added that the suspects were being detained at the Interior Ministry and would be sent to court to be charged today.

Previous cases have highlighted the risks of alcohol production. Last November, officials from Prey Veng province temporarily banned the sale, manufacture and consumption of rice wine in designated villages after seven people died and 33 were injured from drinking contaminated wine.

In October, police arrested a 63-year-old wine seller after 17 people in Kampong Cham’s Oraing Ov district perished after drinking rice wine that health officials later said contained an “abnormally high” level of methanol.