Police and the Gendarmerie have cracked down on 377 drug offences in June, a decrease of 46 cases compared to May.

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng urged the authorities to put more efforts, saying the use and trafficking of illegal drugs persisted in the country.

Of the 377 cases, 354 were cracked down by police and the rest by the Military Police, according to his official Facebook page.

“A total of 807 suspects were arrested in June, a decrease from 914 in May. Of these, 584 were traffickers, 214 were drug users and nine were manufacturers,” the post said.

The minister instructed authorities at all levels to also put their efforts in other areas such as education, information dissemination, prevention and rejection of drugs in the community through media and social media so millions of participants can be informed about drug-related dangers.

Deputy National Police chief in charge of anti-drug enforcement Mak Chito said on July 7 that confiscated drugs will be destroyed.

In Phnom Penh, police had confiscated eight tonnes of drugs, while Tbong Khmum province destroyed drugs on July 6. Other provinces were following suit.

Chito said the National Authority for Combating Drugs was collecting and destroying drugs after failing to accomplish this on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26.

“We will do it, because the committee is now collecting it. We will organise a destruction ceremony that will take place at the appeal courts in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Battambang and Tbong Khmum,” he said.