Golden Triangle Drug Imports on Rise: Sar Kheng
On June 28, 5.7 tonnes of drugs and ingredients were burned. Photo: Ministry of Interior
- By Te Chhaysinh
- June 28, 2023 7:36 PM
PHNOM PENH – Drug smuggling from the Golden Triangle has increased, causing alarm in the government and the community, Interior Minister Sar Kheng says.
Speaking on June 28, to mark the June 26 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Kheng urged authorities to continue the crackdown on drugs because minor trafficking and use among locals had continued.
Drugs from the Golden Triangle of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos were passing through the northeastern provinces at an increased rate.
Also, criminals were manufacturing and trying to produce drugs in Cambodia by converting chemicals imported for legal use into illegal drugs.
“The crimes of drug trafficking and processing on a large scale were effectively and timely suppressed by the authorities,” he said.
”Minor drug trafficking and drug use in the local community remain noticeable, which causes disturbance and concern to the citizen and is not yet fully and confidently addressed.”
PM Hun Sen sent a message marking International Day Against Drug Abuse, saying the government had come up with the slogan “3 Don’t, 1 Report” to implement its safe village-commune policy.
The first don’t was not to get involved or use drugs. The second don’t was not to intervene, which means not obstructing law enforcement against offenders, even family or friends.
The third don’t is aimed at law enforcement and urges officers not to ease up their fight against offenders.
Hun Sen encouraged continued promotion of the village-commune policy by increasing public forum activities and striving to raise awareness about the effects of drugs.
Addicts should be educated and encouraged to stop using drugs and seek early treatment and rehabilitation.
In 2022, 6,390 drug crimes were prosecuted, a 1.3 percent increase over 2021, and 1,5002 people were arrested and taken to court.
Nearly 15 tonnes of all kinds of drugs were recovered, three times as much as in 2021. And more than 504 tonnes of ingredients, an increase of 500 percent, were seized.
On June 28, 5.7 tonnes of drugs and ingredients were burned.
