A group of eight Nigerian nationals who appeared at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for closed-door questioning on Friday following their arrests in an October drug bust will see their pretrial detention extended for up to six more months, the investigating judge in the case ruled.
“We did not finish our investigation,” Investigating Judge Chhe Vireak said of his decision, stating that more evidence had to be collected before a trial could be scheduled.
Undercover police arrested the men on October 28 following a sting operation, which yielded 100 grams of methamphetamine from one of the suspects, who then gave information during interrogation that led to the arrest of the other seven.
Pheng Heng, the lawyer for six of the eight suspects, called the court’s decision “unacceptable” and said it brought into question the strength of the case against his clients.
Mr. Heng added that seven out of the eight suspects did not have crystal methamphetamine in their possession.
“If after [four] months the court still does not have enough evidence, who is responsible?” he said.
