Three Men Nabbed for Drug Trafficking

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
19 March 2009

Police arrested three alleged drug traffickers in Phnom Penh Wednesday night, seizing more the 25,500 methamphetamine tablets, one pistol, and one assault rifle, a senior counter-drug official said Thursday.

The arrests were the result of a raid on a vehicle near the intersections of Monivong and Mao Tse Tong boulevards in Chamkarmon district around 7 pm, police said.

The three vehicle occupants, all Cambodian men, Vong Sothun, 30, Nou Bunlong, 37, and Su Leang, 51, were being questioned by Ministry of Interior police Thursday.

“The three ringleaders were transporting the drugs from the Lao border to sell in Phnom Penh,” Lt. Gen. Mek Dara, secretary-general of the National Anti-Drug Authority, told VOA Khmer.

Phnom Penh authorities followed up on information from the border police in Stung Treng district, who noticed a suspicious vehicle and called it in, he said.

In the first three months of 2009, counter-drug police have “suppressed 64 cases of illegal drugs,” he said. Police have arrested 132 people on drug-related charges and confiscated more than 50,000 methamphetamine tablets.

Police in 2008 pursued 196 cases related to illegal drugs, 50 cases more than in 2007, arresting 388 people, he said.

Drug bust in the middle of the capital

Friday, August 3, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A drug lab located in Phnom Penh city was busted by the military police which also arrested one of the drug ring leader, and confiscated a drug production machine, and $100,000 fake money. According to local newspapers, the bust took place at 4:40 AM on 01 August near the Holiday club, located on Street No. 65, Srah Chak commune, Daun Penh district. The bust also led to the arrest of Lam Sokheng, a 31-year-old male. Following his arrest, the authority also searched 2 other locations: one in Tuol Kork district, and the other in Dangkao district. A car, a handgun, 9 bullets, 870 yama (amphetamine) pills, a number of white powder drug substance, a machine to manufacture the yama drug, as well as $95,000 in fake money were confiscated by the police. Based on the questioning of Lam Sokheng, the latter indicated that he and his gang are trading drugs since 2005, and the modern machine to manufacture yama was recently imported from overseas about 1 month ago only.