Police from the anti-drug department sent a Chinese man to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 16, five days after his arrest in the Borey Sen Sok gated community in Russey Keo district’s Tuol Sangke II commune for possession of more than 6kg of drugs.
Anti-drug department deputy director In Song said on January 16 that the suspect is a 63-year-old Chinese national. He had stayed in a rented house in Borey Sen Sok.
“We referred this case to municipal court this morning, along with more than 6kg of drug exhibits,” he said.
He added that before the raid, police had conducted an investigation, and after ascertaining that criminal activity was taking place, obtained permission to conduct the operation from deputy National Police chief in charge of anti-drug enforcement Mak Chito and anti-drug department director Lek Vannak, in coordination with deputy prosecutor Ty Monin.
Song said the operation took place just after 7pm on January 11 at the rented house. The police confiscated ecstasy (MDMA) and ketamine, with a total weight of 6.50kg.
Municipal court spokesman Plang Sophal could not be reached for comment on January 16.
Song told The Post that last year, police cracked down on 6,242 drug cases and arrested 13,765 people, 802 of them women. The arrests included 362 foreigners of 13 different nationalities, 45 of them women. Police also confiscated a total of more than four tonnes of drugs and nearly 100 firearms.
He added that the illegal drugs seized amounted to 4.435 tonnes. It included 228.51 grammes of marijuana; 52,214 dried marijuana plants; and 1,163kg of unidentified chemical substances.
The police also seized 124 cars and 1,647 motorcycles; 5,853 mobile phones; 336 sets of scales; 41 pistols and 42 rifles; and some cash. Nine bank accounts had their funds frozen with asset forfeiture procedures initiated against them in court.
