Phnom Penh, (Asian independent) Cambodia has witnessed a spike in both drug arrests and seizures during the first nine months of 2022, said a report released by the Anti-Drug Police Department (ADP) on Saturday.
The authorities had detained 11,431 drug-related suspects during the January-September period this year, up 16 per cent from 9,828 over the same period last year, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.
It said that some 6.25 tons of narcotics had been seized, up almost 5 times from 1.05 tonnes last year.
According to the report, some 4.77 tonnes of unfinished ketamine, 476 tons of chemical substances, 23 pistols, 49 rifles, 119 cars, 1,183 motorbikes, 4,381 telephones, and 329 scales had also been confiscated from the suspects.
The seized narcotics this year included heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills, and cathinone, among others.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said earlier this week that the government was committed to cracking down on all forms of crimes including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation.
He advised all competent authorities and other stakeholders to join hands in preventing Cambodia from becoming a haven for organised crime groups engaged in human trafficking and drug trafficking.
The Southeast Asian nation has no death sentence for drug traffickers.
Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be jailed for life.
