Two prison guards in Kandal province’s Takhmao town found themselves in familiar territory Friday, after they were arrested and put in pre-trial detention for drug distribution charges.

The prison guards, Sin Mida, 27, and Chhuon Ratana, 23, were arrested with Om Tit Soohan, 23, at about 5:30pm at the Rasmey Angkor guesthouse, when police raided their room. The seizure occurred after the guesthouse owner had asked for police intervention, said Takhmao town police chief Sim Bandith.

“Now they are at a pre-detention centre after we sent them to court on March 28 at 1:00pm,” Bandith said.

During Friday’s raid, police turned up a bag of unidentified crystalline white powder suspected to be drugs, two scales, $6,450 in cash and drug-smoking paraphernalia, Bandith said yesterday.

When questioned, each allegedly confessed to using and selling drugs, he added. “Upon arrest, they said they bought [drugs] for their own use and they also distributed,” he said.

Kandal provincial prison chief Chat Sineang yesterday confirmed that Mida and Ratana both work as prison guards in Kandal.