Cambodia seized 7.39 tons of narcotics in the period January-October 2024

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia recorded a significant increase in both the number of people detained and the amount of narcotics seized in the first 10 months of 2024, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s report on Saturday.

The report stated that authorities caught 21,659 drug-related suspects in the January-October period of this year, this figure was 16,668, an increase of 29.9 percent compared to the same period of 2023, and it was stated that 742 suspects were foreigners of 17 nationalities.

The report stated that a total of 7.39 tons of illegal drugs were seized from the hands of these suspects in the first 10 months of 2024. This figure represents a 171 percent increase from just 2.72 tonnes over the same period in 2023.

Most of the seized drugs were ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets, heroin, ecstasy and cocaine.

Cambodia has stepped up efforts to combat illegal drugs since Prime Minister Hun Manet took office in August 2023.

He ordered state and local authorities to eliminate drug distribution and use at nightclubs and other entertainment facilities in the Southeast Asian country.

There is no death penalty for the kingdom’s drug traffickers. According to the law, a person found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illegal drugs can be sentenced to life imprisonment. -Xinhua