Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Authority searching to arrest those involved in drug production

24 June 2007
By Phan Sophat
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A Cambodian official said that the authority is continuing its search to arrest a number of people who are involved in a plan to conduct a large drug production in Kompong Speu province which was recently uncovered.

An anonymous high-ranking official told RFA that the file for the drug case in Kompong Speu province is not complete yet, and that those involved are high-ranking government officials.

On Friday, the Phnom Penh municipal court issued an arrest warrant for another general who is accused of drug involvement in Kompong Speu province.

Chum Tong Heng, a 2-star general working at the RCAF headquarters, was arrested by the court and is temporarily jailed in Prey Sar prison for collusion in drug trafficking.

Phnom Penh municipal court cannot be contacted to obtain information about the charge leveled against the general. However, local newspapers indicated today that Chum Tong Heng denied the charges leveled against him by the municipal court.

General Luor Ramin, the secretary-general of the anti-drug trafficking authority, told RFA that the arrest of General Chum Tong Heng is indeed because of his involvement in the drug production in Kompong Speu province.

Luor Ramin said: “The current case is an extension of the Kompong speu case, however, regarding the charge, the investigating judge is the one who knows about it because he has the case file in his hands.”

At the beginning of April, the Cambodian authority raided a large drug production plant in Treng Troyeung commune, Phnom Sruoch district, Kompong Speu province, and it seized about 6 tons of raw ingredients for drug production.

During the police raid, several people was arrested including both Cambodian laborers and foreigners, however, at that time, the authority said that it did not find all the major ringleaders in this drug production yet.

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