NACD secretary-general Meas Vyrith (right) and his Thai counterpart Wichai Chaimongkhon. NACD
Cambodian and Thai anti-drug authorities have agreed to extend cooperation in fighting organised crime and drug trafficking ringleaders across the borders.
National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) secretary-general Meas Vyrith told The Post on November 7 that he met Vichai Chaimongkol, the secretary-general of Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board, on November 5 to discuss their joint fight against drugs across the consecutive borders, monitoring of drug trafficking corridors as well as the sources and destinations of drugs.
He said the two sides had agreed to continue to assist each other by exchanging information regarding drug routes, criminal networks and money-laundering crimes to strengthen cooperation to fight drugs, especially to crack down on cross-border drug trafficking.
“We are united to analyse the techniques and framework for cooperation on law enforcement. We have determined that these drugs come from the Golden Triangle [in northern Thailand] and the criminals come from production zones to find markets and have successfully exported drugs to a third country several times,” he said.
He said this agreement came as Thai authorities had arrested a number of Thai nationals who had trafficked drugs in both countries.
Vyrith said the Thai side also requested cooperation from Cambodia by sending their technical experts to join the questioning of the Thai suspects who were arrested by Cambodian authorities.
According to a report released by NACD on November 5, cross-border drug crimes remained a serious problem along the two countries’ borders.
The report said the world has been facing the Covid-19 pandemic which has forced countries around the world to shut or strictly monitor borders. This made drug trafficking more difficult, but criminals still remain active, including using methods which are more flexible, complex and covert.
The report added that in the first nine months of this year, Cambodia had arrested more than 10,000 suspects, 277 of them foreign nationals – for drug-related crimes.
