Customs: 2nd Crystal Meth Seizure at Airport in 4 Days
By Saing Soenthrith
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Customs officials at Phnom Penh International Airport on Sunday arrested an Indonesian man allegedly carrying over 2 kg of crystal methamphetamine in his luggage, officials said.
Budiman Tan, 35, was preparing to board a 10:30 am Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur when an X-ray of his baggage showed a suspiciously large, plastic-wrapped package of coffee, which was found to contain 2.05 kg of the narcotic, said Theam Chansotha, assistant to airport customs chief Khieu Sam An.
"It's the second time this week our customs officers have caught a smuggler packing these drugs in his luggage," he said. "The plastic wrapped coffee packages which contained the narcotics were the same style packages. This means the drugs come from the same trafficker."
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday charged three Malaysian men with drug trafficking following their arrests Thursday at the airport, allegedly in possession of a total of 12.4 kg of the drug.
Currently detained in Prey Sar prison and awaiting trial, the Malaysian men, Ching Sie Luen, 29, Hii Lu Ung, 36, and Tie Sing Hui, 31, were also bound for Kuala Lumpur and were carrying the drugs in tea packages.
Budiman Tan on Sunday was in the custody of the anti-drug police and authorities expected to send him to court Monday, Interior Ministry anti-narcotics police chief Moek Dara said.
"Now our police are looking for the ring leaders," he added.
Moek Dara said that his unit believes they know the origin of the crystal methamphetamine but he declined to give details.
"The drugs are from abroad and the masterminds are not in Cambodia," he maintained.
Crystal methamphetamine, or methamphetamine hydrochloride, is an odorless and bitter-tasting white, crystalline powder and is an artificial stimulant producing long-lasting feelings of euphoria, according to the US National Institutes of Health.
Psychological symptoms of prolonged abuse include paranoia, while physical side effects can include tremors and permanent damage to the cardiovascular system, according to the NIH.
Budiman Tan, 35, was preparing to board a 10:30 am Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur when an X-ray of his baggage showed a suspiciously large, plastic-wrapped package of coffee, which was found to contain 2.05 kg of the narcotic, said Theam Chansotha, assistant to airport customs chief Khieu Sam An.
"It's the second time this week our customs officers have caught a smuggler packing these drugs in his luggage," he said. "The plastic wrapped coffee packages which contained the narcotics were the same style packages. This means the drugs come from the same trafficker."
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday charged three Malaysian men with drug trafficking following their arrests Thursday at the airport, allegedly in possession of a total of 12.4 kg of the drug.
Currently detained in Prey Sar prison and awaiting trial, the Malaysian men, Ching Sie Luen, 29, Hii Lu Ung, 36, and Tie Sing Hui, 31, were also bound for Kuala Lumpur and were carrying the drugs in tea packages.
Budiman Tan on Sunday was in the custody of the anti-drug police and authorities expected to send him to court Monday, Interior Ministry anti-narcotics police chief Moek Dara said.
"Now our police are looking for the ring leaders," he added.
Moek Dara said that his unit believes they know the origin of the crystal methamphetamine but he declined to give details.
"The drugs are from abroad and the masterminds are not in Cambodia," he maintained.
Crystal methamphetamine, or methamphetamine hydrochloride, is an odorless and bitter-tasting white, crystalline powder and is an artificial stimulant producing long-lasting feelings of euphoria, according to the US National Institutes of Health.
Psychological symptoms of prolonged abuse include paranoia, while physical side effects can include tremors and permanent damage to the cardiovascular system, according to the NIH.
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