An Australian man was charged with drug possession in Preah Sihanouk province on Saturday after he was arrested in Sihanoukville’s Muoy commune with nearly 4 grams of crystal methamphetamine valued at about $500, police and court officials said.
Sun Vutha, deputy provincial police chief, said Hugh Robertson, a 45-year-old Australian citizen, was sent to the provincial court on Saturday morning after being arrested on Thursday at about 10:30 p.m. with 3.7 grams of meth and three mobile phones.
Photographs of Mr. Robertson taken in police custody show him next to a plastic bag full of crystal meth and another bag full of smaller plastic bags.
“He said he bought it from a Vietnamese woman at the beach who can speak English well, and that he thought it was fairly cheap. He said he bought it to share with his friends,” Mr. Vutha said.
Provincial court spokesman Huot Vichet confirmed Mr. Robertson was charged with drug possession and sent to prison on Saturday to await trial.
Purchasing narcotics carries a sentence of one to five years in prison.
