A 22-year-old Malaysian man on Friday was sentenced to life in prison for trying to smuggle more than a kilogram of heroin — with a street value of around $700,000 — out of Cambodia last year.
Ahmad Johari Chung, a native of Malaysia’s Sabah state, was arrested at the Phnom Penh International Airport in September while en route to Taipei via Macau when officials patted him down and found the drugs strapped to his thighs.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court “decided to sentence Ahmad Johari Chung to life in prison and fine him 80 million riel” or about $20,000, Presiding Judge Ly Sokleng announced.
The judge also ordered the arrest of a Chinese national, Choi Chun Tung, but did not elaborate.
Leaving court, a dejected Mr. Chung shook his head and told a reporter: “It’s unfair to me.”
