Cambodian court charges provincial anti-drug bureau chief with drug trafficking

PHNOM PENH, June 10 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court on Tuesday charged a provincial military police's anti-drug bureau chief with possessing and trafficking drugs and owning weapons illegally, according to a court's spokesman on Wednesday.

Chhun Somethea, chief of the southern Takeo provincial military police's anti-drug bureau, and his apparent lover were arrested on Thursday at a petrol station in Takeo province after officers found 2 kilograms of methamphetamines in their car, and a further search of the military police officer's home uncovered another 8 kilograms of marijuana and two guns.

"The military police officer was charged with three counts: possessing and trafficking illicit drugs and owning weapons illegally, while the woman was charged with trafficking drugs," Kuch Kimlong, a spokesman for the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, told Xinhua.

The Southeast Asian country has seen a remarkable rise in drug arrests during the first five months of this year, according to an Interior Ministry's anti-drug department report.

The authorities had arrested 8,864 drug-related suspects in 4,490 cases during the January-May period this year, up 28 percent and 37 percent, respectively compared to the same period last year, the report said.

It added that 259 kilograms of illicit drugs, 225 kilograms of dry marijuana and 180,490 marijuana plants had been confiscated from those suspects during the first five months of this year.

Cambodia has no death sentence for drug traffickers. Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be jailed for life.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/10/c_139128812.htm