Police seize methamphetamine and stash of drug-making chemicals
Anti-narcotics police arrested four people yesterday following a raid on a suspected homemade drug lab in the capital’s Prampi Makara district, police said.
According to municipal anti-narcotics police chief Yim Socheat, police discovered 250 grams of methamphetamine–along with 49 separate chemical compounds that can be used to manufacture drugs–after searching the top floor of an apartment building on Street 248 in Veal Vong commune\.
Anti-narcotics police acting in cooperation with district police raided the alleged makeshift factory at around noon yesterday, according to Mr Socheat.
“This is the first time in 2010 we have raided a place that produces and distributes drugs,” said deputy municipal anti-narcotics police chief Iv Thearith. Police could not estimate what quantity of drugs might have been produced using the discovered chemicals, Mr Thearith said.
Brothers Pa Ranet, 40, and Pa Daya, 46, as well as Toch Srey Khuoch, 25, and Heng Lily, 19, were arrested at the scene, Mr Thearith said, adding that the apartment belonged to Mr Ranet.
The four were in police custody at the municipal anti-narcotics police station, where they will remain today for questioning, Mr Thearith said, adding that they would be transferred to the court later this week.
Police had suspected that the apartment was being used as a drug lab for some time, Mr Thearith said.
“We had no evidence to arrest them so we just watched them for about two months and arrested them and caught them red-handed,” he said.
Moek Dara, secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said he expected police would submit a report on this incident to his office today.
