Three Thai nationals have been sentenced to life imprisonment and fined 80 million Riel (approximately Bt723,000) by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for drug possession and trafficking. This judgment concluded a high-profile case involving a sizeable drug bust.

 

Phanthep Vithya, 44, Kroeungsak Maklikun, 35, and Narongrith Chakroeunsuk, 26, were apprehended on August 31, 2022, in Phnom Penh. Authorities found nearly 42 kilograms of ketamine and ecstasy concealed under a layer of flowers in the cargo beds of two pickup trucks. The arrest operation led to a shootout, resulting in the death of a fourth suspect, Sem Jam, 28.

 

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nuon Sothearith, deputy chief of the municipal anti-drug unit, the arrests followed the authorities' discovery that the suspects were transporting drugs from Stung Treng province to Phnom Penh. The defendants attempted to evade inspection, speeding past a checkpoint and firing shots at the police.

 

 

The trio was not only charged with drug possession, transport, and trafficking but also faced charges of unauthorised possession of weapons and money laundering. Confiscated items included four pistols, additional drug-related materials, and substantial assets such as two pickup trucks and three plots of land.

 

This case underscores the Cambodian authorities' resolute stance against drug trafficking, reflecting the broader regional efforts to curb the flow of illegal narcotics. The life sentences handed down serve as a stark warning to those involved in the drug trade.

 

Picture courtesy: Kampuchea Thmey

 

-- 2024-05-17

 

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Good  

They sound like bad seeds. Life in prison, was it all worth it?

That'll teach em

Fashion police should give them an extra year for those shirts.

59 minutes ago, retarius said:

They sound like bad seeds. Life in prison, was it all worth it?

 

Probably not, but Thai people think different.

4 minutes ago, watchcat said:

 

Probably not, but Thai people think different.

 

Maybe they'll be released in seven years, then they can write a book about their experience in a foreign prison, and make oodles of money speaking on book tour.

they're lucky they were caught in Cambodia. That much amount would have them facing the death sentence in Viet Nam or Indonesia.