Deputy Prime Minister and National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) president Ke Kim Yan on Tuesday said while Cambodia is not a drug-producing country, the scourge is trafficked through the Kingdom to third countries.

Kim Yan was speaking at a workshop at the Stung Treng Provincial Hall which covered the monitoring of drugs in the northeast and the implementation of a “No Drugs in Villages and Communes” scheme.

The workshop was attended by some 250 representatives of ministries and institutions, the deputy president and members of the NACD, the border provinces’ Drug Monitoring Committee and delegates from Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

“Cambodia is not a drug-producing country, but drugs are trafficked across the nation . . . before heading to third countries,” Kim Yan was quoted as saying on the police website on Tuesday.

He said that, according to the NACD report, drugs are trafficked through the northeast provinces, especially Stung Treng and Preah Vihear, where they enter the country over the Laos border.

Kim Yan said the drugs are then transported to Thailand and Vietnam, with some being consumed in Cambodia at places such as tourist spots, clubs, guesthouses and slums.

He said this had an adverse effect on youths and is causing a loss of human resources for national economic development.

Stung Treng provincial drug monitoring committee director Mom Saroeun said on Tuesday that he was busy with the workshop and hence was unable to provide The Post with a comment. Saroeun is also the Stung Treng governor.

However, at the workshop, he said holding it is a very important as it demonstrated the results of the drug monitoring programme, and particularly the implementation of the “No Drugs in Villages and Communes” plan, which aimed to strengthen drug interception measures and make them more active and effective in the northeast provinces.

Deputy national police chief Mok Chito said criminals often smuggled drugs such as ICE, ketamine, heroin, and dried marijuana into Stung Treng and Preah Vihear provinces, and Cambodia has intercepted several such cases.

NACD secretary-general Meas Vyrith said the workshop discussed the implementation of drug crackdowns and listened to a report on the introduction of the “No Drugs in Villages and Communes” scheme.

On Wednesday, the workshop planned to discuss solutions to the problem and to remind Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to continue cooperating with Cambodia and each other.

“We have many agreements with neighbouring countries, but we are holding this meeting to remind them again, so they can continue working with us on intercepting illegal drugs."

“We have not thoroughly discussed [all the issues], but on January 30, we will announce the results by 12 pm,” Vyrith said.

On January 9, Stung Treng provincial police released a report documenting drug crimes last year and its goals for implementing countermeasures this year.

The report said 65 drug cases had been intercepted in Stung Treng province, with the authorities arresting 114 people. Of those, 107 were Cambodian, including eight women, five were Laotian and two were Vietnamese.

The authorities seized 164.1kg of ICE, 11,995 WY tablets and 22.9kg of ketamine, the report said, with other property also confiscated.