Undercover military police arrested three men and seized more than 1,500 methamphetamine pills during a sting inside a market in Battambang province’s Ratanak Mondol district, officials said Thursday.
The men, Chea Mob, 35; Mon Vesna, 33; and Nhem Virak, 32, had been under surveillance and were known to regularly move drugs from Phnom Penh to the distribution point inside Sdao market, where they were arrested by military police officers posing as buyers on Monday night, according to Battambang City military police commander Sam Vilong.
“We spent a long time watching them and then we arranged to buy drugs from them,” Mr. Vilong said.
He added that following their arrest, all three men named a woman in Pailin province as the kingpin of a smuggling operation.
“The meth belongs to the woman in Pailin and we are trying to apprehend her, but presently, she remains at large,” he said, refusing to name the woman because the case was still under investigation.
Mr. Vilong said the suspects would be sent to the court to be charged Friday.
