British Man Held in Cambodia Over 20kg Airport Drug Bust

[geovalin]

 

A 41-year-old British man has been arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport after Cambodian authorities discovered nearly 20 kilograms of marijuana in his luggage. The drugs are believed to have been smuggled from neighbouring Thailand.

 

The arrest took place on 17 June at the airport’s departure terminal. Acting on intelligence and under the direction of Cambodia’s top anti-narcotics officials, police and customs officers intercepted the man as he attempted to travel with 22 bags of dried marijuana—amounting to 19.9kg.

 

Officials have confirmed that the operation was part of a wider crackdown on cross-border drug trafficking, launched under the command of General Sar Thet, head of the National Police, and senior figures from Cambodia’s Anti-Narcotics Department.

 

The suspect is now in custody and his case has been formally handed over to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for prosecution. Cambodian authorities stressed that marijuana trafficking, transportation, and cultivation remain strictly prohibited under the country’s 2012 Narcotics Control Law.

 

If convicted, the Briton could face severe penalties under Cambodian law, where drug offences carry long prison sentences and, in some cases, life imprisonment.

 

The arrest highlights ongoing concerns over Cambodia’s role as a transit hub in Southeast Asia’s regional drug trade, particularly with porous borders and well-worn trafficking routes connecting Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

 

British embassy officials have not yet commented on the case.

 

-2025-06-20