Interior Minister Sar Kheng again admitted there was a heavy influx of drugs and chemical drug precursors into the country, he said at an event to destroy drugs seized last year.
The minister attended the drug-destroying ceremony at Phnom Penh’s Koh Pich on Wednesday and said law enforcement officials had confiscated a total of 14 tons of drugs in 2022, a more than three-fold increase from 2021, when more than five tons were taken into possession.
More than 300 tons of drug precursors were also seized last year, according to Sar Kheng, which will be destroyed with the help of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Cambodia saw an exponential increase in drug precursor busts last year, with UNODC saying in 2021 that organized crime groups were likely using Cambodia for drug production. Cambodia has pushed back against this assertion and said most drugs seized in Cambodia are headed overseas.
Kheng also said on Wednesday that drugs were being trafficked through the country.
“There is an increase of drug imports from the Golden Triangle into Cambodia via the northeastern provinces of the country,” said Kheng.
There was a 100% increase in drug crimes in 2022, with law enforcement officials arresting at least 15,000 suspects, according to statistics announced by Kheng.
Cambodia has faced criticism for a drug crackdown that started in 2017 and has resulted in the arrest of tens of thousands of people on suspected drug charges. The anti-drug campaign has also exacerbated the overcrowding of Cambodia’s under-resourced prisons.
In a major anti-drug operation last year, around 270 tons of ketamine precursor were found at seven locations in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Prey Veng and Svay Rieng. In another raid, 12 tons of drugs and drug precursors were seized at a mango farm in Kampong Speu province. National Police deputy chief Mok Chito said at the time that police found “half-finished” drug products at the facility.
