Authorities arrest 10k over drugs in rising crackdown
ANTI-NARCOTICS officials nabbed about 10,000 people, including 213 foreigners in the first nine months of this year, as they intensify their campaign to cleanse the drug scourge nationwide.
Thousands of police personnel are combing the city – including entertainment outlets and guesthouses – to hunt down traffickers as well as drug users.
Meas Virith, the secretarygeneral of the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) told ThePost yesterday that foreigners from 15 different countries, including 46 females, were arrested during their operations.
In addition, 59 cars and 1,258 motorbikes, all related to drug activities, were seized from suspects as well.
Virith said due to strict law enforcement, the authorities managed to smash 5,208 drug cases and arrested 10,355 people this year.
Those arrested included traffickers, drug users and others involved in cultivation.
National Police deputy commissioner and Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Chuon Sovann said yesterday that the authorities launched large-scale operations across 1,000 entertainment centres, hotels, guesthouses and clubs in the capital.
According to authorities, some entertainment outlets were used as a base for narcotics distribution, Drug usage was rampant in these premises.
“This is my stern action to combat drugs and it is not to intimidate or scare [anyone]. It is purely aimed at tackling the drug menace in these outlets in the capital,” said Sovann.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Police Station said until September 4, there were 1,168 entertainment outlets, hotels, guesthouses and other entertainment places in the capital.
And, between January and September, it intercepted 1,250 drug-related cases with 2,372 people arrested.
This is my stern action to combat drugs and it is not to intimidate or scare. It is purely aimed at tackling the drug menace