The Kampot Provincial Court on Friday charged a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) deputy commander and two accomplices with distributing and trafficking methamphetamine following a raid on Thursday afternoon, officials said Friday.
Meas Khemrin, 31, his wife; Chiem Asna, 20; and his military subordinate Kong Vanthai, 27, were arrested at 1 p.m. on Thursday in Toek Chhou district’s Trapaing Thom commune, said deputy provincial police chief Mao Chanmathurith.
“Meas Khemrin, who works as a RCAF deputy commander of Kampot province, is the leading drug smuggler in Kampot,” Brigadier General Chanmathurith said.
When police raided the suspect’s house, the three tried to lock the doors and flush the drugs down a toilet. After inspecting the house, Brig. Gen. Chanmathurith said police found three empty plastic bags that they believe had previously contained methamphetamine, and six books that listed names of other people involved in drug smuggling.
“Seventy percent of the suspects that we have arrested before for drugs have admitted to being involved with Mr. Meas Khemrin,” he said.
After their arrest, the three suspects were taken to the provincial police station for further questioning, and there they remained on Friday, he said. In a separate case on Thursday, three drug smuggling suspects were arrested at a restaurant in Banteay Meanchey province’s Mongkol Borei district, a police official said.
Police confiscated about 6,000 tablets of methamphetamine from the two cars that the three suspects, Meas Khorn, 40; Chea Sokhai, 50; and Kram Sunly, 32, were traveling in, one of which belonged to the Ministry of Defense, said Thin Sindeth, chief of provincial anti-drug police.
“The suspects admitted to having smuggled the drugs, and will be brought to the provincial court [Saturday],” Mr. Sindeth said.
According to a police officer who declined to be named, two of the suspects are soldiers and one is a police officer.
