In separate cases over the weekend, police in Phnom Penh confiscated about 500 grams of methamphetamine from a Cambodian man after they arrested him for drug dealing, while authorities in Preah Vihear province arrested a Laotian man for smuggling about 2 kg of meth from Laos, officials said.
In Phnom Penh early Sunday morning, police arrested Tep Sokun, 31, in Sen Sok district’s Trapang Chhouk village—known for being a haven for drug users—for drug distribution and confiscated 500 grams of meth, said In Song, deputy chief of the Interior Ministry’s anti-drug department.
“We spent many months watching him and spent some budget on buying drugs so we could sneak into the drug distributor’s network and identify him,” Mr. Song said.
Police will send Mr. Sokun to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court today, he added.
On Saturday, officers from the Interior Ministry’s anti-drug department arrested Pitsabun Simavat, 38, a Laotian national, in Preah Vihear’s Chheb district, about 1 km into Cambodian territory after he had crossed a border checkpoint, said Yen Panharith, bureau chief of the department.
“We spent three months watching him and attempted to arrest him three times, but the first and second times he didn’t have any drugs with him,” Mr. Panharith said, adding that informants had told police when Mr. Simavat was crossing the border.
Police confiscated nearly 2 kg of meth from Mr. Simavat, who is being held at Preah Vihear’s anti-drug department and will be sent to the provincial court today, Mr. Panharith said.
Saturday’s arrest is the latest in what police say is an attempt to crack down on the cross-border drug trade between Laos and Cambodia. Three Laotian men who were believed to be smuggling meth into Cambodia were arrested in Laos on Wednesday.
On May 10, Laotian police arrested a Cambodian woman and two Laotians after they crossed the border from Stung Treng carrying 6 kg of meth.
