The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday began hearing the case of six Vietnamese nationals and five Cambodians arrested for the production, storage and transportation of illegal drugs last May.

Pre-siding judge Kim Dany said the 11 suspects were charged with drug production, storage and transportation after police raided six production sites and seized approximately 3,000 litres of safrole oil and powdered methamphetamine, among other drug para-phernalia.

Accused Vietnam-ese national Chov Vanthanh, 41, claimed he was paid $100 by an unidentified Viet-namese man to look after his rental warehouse located in the capital’s Sen Sok district. “I did not know there were these prohibited elements inside it,” he said.