Three men arrested with 1 kg of crystal methamphetamine in Stung Treng province were provisionally charged on Wednesday with drug trafficking, an official said.
Oum La, 48, and two Vietnamese men, Khvieng Hongchov, 61, and Khan Yong, 49, were charged following three days of questioning, provincial court director Eang Kimthol said.
The questioning took longer than usual because the Vietnamese men did not speak Khmer, Mr. Kimthol said, adding that they were being held at the provincial military headquarters pending further investigation.
In a separate case, police in Stung Treng province charged the 67-year-old chief of Pakalan village in Ratanakkiri province’s Veun Sai district with drug trafficking on Saturday.
Mi Boulam and a friend were arrested in Stung Treng City on Thursday with 249 grams of crystal meth, provincial anti-drug bureau chief Son Nimol said. Veun Sai district governor Chun Ngil said on Sunday that the deputy village chief was now handling Mr. Boulam’s duties.
Stung Treng, long used as a drug trafficking route, has seen a spate of arrests recently with officials pledging to tackle the narcotics trade in the province.
