The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday sentenced a 21-year-old hairdresser to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking after finding a cache of methamphetamine at her rented apartment in Dangkao district in May.
Presiding Judge Kor Vandy also ordered Thann Pisey to pay a fine of 20 million riel, or about $5,000. When police raided Ms. Pisey’s home on May 29, they found 174 grams of crystal methamphetamine and nearly 2 grams of methamphetamine pills.
On Wednesday, she left the courtroom in tears without a word, while her lawyer, Chuk Chan Molinda, declined to speak with a reporter.
During her trial on March 15, Ms. Pisey said the drugs belonged to a man she had been living with, Lim Sopheak—who remains at large—and that she had seen him planning deals with others.
“I knew they were doing this business, but I was not involved,” she said. When Judge Vandy asked her why she did not report Mr. Sopheak to police, she replied, “because I loved him.”
