Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 08, April 20 - May 3, 2007
An official investigation into a large-scale narcotics laboratory recently discovered at a Kampong Speu cow farm has led authorities to suspect a powerful "foreign mastermind" and raised new fears about Cambodia's role in Southeast Asia's illicit drug trade.
Authorities and international experts are now attempting to pinpoint the origin of the three tons of precursor chemicals confiscated on March 31, and learn how the legal, but closely monitored, chemicals crossed international borders. Former government adviser Chea Chung, the alleged owner of the farm, remains at large.
"We have an arrest warrant and police have taken measures to watch for Chea Chung along the borders," said Teng Savong, head of the Investigation Committee of the Ministry of Interior on April 18. "Chea Chung is a very important man and we have suspected that there is a powerful person behind him."
Moek Dara, director of the MoI's anti-drug department, said the government is using all available officers to search for Chung, and he believes the former adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Nhek Bun Chhay is still inside Cambodia.
"We won't allow him to escape," Dara told the Post.
Following an inspection of the raided sites in Kampong Speu province and Phnom Penh, a top UN drug official confirmed that the farm was used to produce chloroephedrine - a precursor chemical for the manufacturing of methamphetamines.
"The process has different stages. This was step 1: a place to isolate and dry chloroephedrine. They were shipping it to another site for step 2, where it would be converted into meth," said Jeremy Douglas, regional project coordinator for the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on April 19. "There was no actual meth, but there's no reason to have this drug on a farm if you're not making methaphetamine. They were close to producing it, about halfway."
Douglas said the end product that would be made from the chloroephedrine is probably "ice," a purified and highly addictive form of crystalized methamphetamine.
"It's most likely that the final product that would reach these streets is ice. There's more value for the money: they could decide to cut it and make pills or tablets if they wanted to," said Douglas.
Douglas was also concerned about two Malaysian men arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport with 2.2 kgs of ice less than a week after the drug raids.
"The theory was that [ice] came from Myanmar, now this may or may not be true," Douglas said.
Lour Ramin, secretary-general of the National Authority on Combatting Drugs (NACD), said 12 types of chemicals were seized including chloroephedrine and some 800 bottles of liquid thionyl chloride. Thionyl chloride is described in a scientific journal as a "re-agent used for the production of chemical compounds to purify the end product."
"We are investigating to find out where the chemicals were imported from. We can see labels written in Chinese and Vietnamese, but the perpetrators cut the import-export stamps off the containers," Ramin said. "We are working with neighboring countries and the US DEA to find out which company ordered the chemicals and who was the importer."
Concerns have been raised about the environmental impact on the Kampong Speu site. According to Douglas, officials from the US DEA and UNODC have taken samples at the site and will advise in its clean up. An inter-ministerial committee has been formed under the oversight of Sar Kheng, Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister.
"The committee is already working - we've had one meeting and went to check out the scene," said Ramin. "Now we will listen to technicians' ideas about safety for the health of the people living around the area. We will make a decision about how to deal with the chemicals, either to burn or bury."
Kang Heang, Kampong Speu provincial governor, said the area's wells and livestock have been checked out by government officials.
So far, 18 arrests were made after police simultaneously stormed the two locations in Kampong Speu and Phnom Penh. Two Chinese men and one Thai were charged with drug production and smuggling on April 5 in Kampong Speu Provincial Court. The same day a Chinese woman was charged with the same offenses in Phnom Penh. Fourteen local villagers were charged with colluding in drug production.
"Now, the police are investigating the big mastermind who is a foreigner," Heang said.
Authorities and international experts are now attempting to pinpoint the origin of the three tons of precursor chemicals confiscated on March 31, and learn how the legal, but closely monitored, chemicals crossed international borders. Former government adviser Chea Chung, the alleged owner of the farm, remains at large.
"We have an arrest warrant and police have taken measures to watch for Chea Chung along the borders," said Teng Savong, head of the Investigation Committee of the Ministry of Interior on April 18. "Chea Chung is a very important man and we have suspected that there is a powerful person behind him."
Moek Dara, director of the MoI's anti-drug department, said the government is using all available officers to search for Chung, and he believes the former adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Nhek Bun Chhay is still inside Cambodia.
"We won't allow him to escape," Dara told the Post.
Following an inspection of the raided sites in Kampong Speu province and Phnom Penh, a top UN drug official confirmed that the farm was used to produce chloroephedrine - a precursor chemical for the manufacturing of methamphetamines.
"The process has different stages. This was step 1: a place to isolate and dry chloroephedrine. They were shipping it to another site for step 2, where it would be converted into meth," said Jeremy Douglas, regional project coordinator for the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on April 19. "There was no actual meth, but there's no reason to have this drug on a farm if you're not making methaphetamine. They were close to producing it, about halfway."
Douglas said the end product that would be made from the chloroephedrine is probably "ice," a purified and highly addictive form of crystalized methamphetamine.
"It's most likely that the final product that would reach these streets is ice. There's more value for the money: they could decide to cut it and make pills or tablets if they wanted to," said Douglas.
Douglas was also concerned about two Malaysian men arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport with 2.2 kgs of ice less than a week after the drug raids.
"The theory was that [ice] came from Myanmar, now this may or may not be true," Douglas said.
Lour Ramin, secretary-general of the National Authority on Combatting Drugs (NACD), said 12 types of chemicals were seized including chloroephedrine and some 800 bottles of liquid thionyl chloride. Thionyl chloride is described in a scientific journal as a "re-agent used for the production of chemical compounds to purify the end product."
"We are investigating to find out where the chemicals were imported from. We can see labels written in Chinese and Vietnamese, but the perpetrators cut the import-export stamps off the containers," Ramin said. "We are working with neighboring countries and the US DEA to find out which company ordered the chemicals and who was the importer."
Concerns have been raised about the environmental impact on the Kampong Speu site. According to Douglas, officials from the US DEA and UNODC have taken samples at the site and will advise in its clean up. An inter-ministerial committee has been formed under the oversight of Sar Kheng, Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister.
"The committee is already working - we've had one meeting and went to check out the scene," said Ramin. "Now we will listen to technicians' ideas about safety for the health of the people living around the area. We will make a decision about how to deal with the chemicals, either to burn or bury."
Kang Heang, Kampong Speu provincial governor, said the area's wells and livestock have been checked out by government officials.
So far, 18 arrests were made after police simultaneously stormed the two locations in Kampong Speu and Phnom Penh. Two Chinese men and one Thai were charged with drug production and smuggling on April 5 in Kampong Speu Provincial Court. The same day a Chinese woman was charged with the same offenses in Phnom Penh. Fourteen local villagers were charged with colluding in drug production.
"Now, the police are investigating the big mastermind who is a foreigner," Heang said.
3 comments:
"the big mastermind" is not a foreigner. A foreigner is probably the guy with the idea but the mastermind and the back up must be someone so desperate for money. Why not look into someone like Nhiek Bun Chhay? Isn't the farm belonging to his advisor?
Nhiek is a big spender and knowing the current event and election, who know!
Here is the drug Lord still running in Cambodia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVFQQRWnKP0
When the drug nd drug lab is found in your land, who is the mastermind? Pas besoin de "Chercher midi a 14 heures".
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