Drug Arrests Up In August, But Seizures Drop

Phnom Penh: On September 13, Samdech Krala Hom Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, released a report on the results of drug crime crackdowns in August 2021. A total of 440 drug offenses, an increase of 111 cases or 33.7% compared to July 2021 were recorded. The cases included 355 cases of storage and trafficking, 84 cases of use and 1 case of production.

In August, police arrested 861 suspects- an increase of 12% compared to July 2021. Among the suspects, there were 650 suspects in trafficking and storage cases, 210 suspects in drug use cases and 1 suspect in processing. Twenty-one foreigners were among the suspects.

Although the number of drug cases and the number of suspects arrested increased compared to July, during the August operation, the amount of drugs seized by the police decreased by 161.548 kg- a decrease of 73.6%. Authorities seized a total of 57kg 912.54 grams, compared to July, which saw nearly 220 kilograms of drugs seized. The increase in July was due to authorities cracking down on big cases.

The drugs seized in August 2021 included more than 37 kilograms of methamphetamine powder, 35 kilograms of methamphetamine tablets, more than 12 kilograms of ecstasy, more than 7 kilograms of ketamine, more than 200 grams of ninetazepam and more dried marijuana. Among the cases cracked down on, drug offenses involving more than 1 kg saw 4 cases and 8 suspects detained with a total of more than 20 kg of drugs.