National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) chair Neth Savoeun addresses the annual review meeting of the Kampong Cham provincial administration on January 14. FN
The National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) has announced that less than 0.1 per cent of the civil servants who were subjected to drug testing in 2024 returned positive tests.
Of the more than 110,000 civil servants tested, just 100 were found to have narcotics in their system.
These individuals were dismissed from government service under Directive 01 issued by the Cambodian government, according to NACD chairman Neth Savoeun.
Speaking at an annual review meeting of the Kampong Cham Provincial Administration on January 14, Savoeun urged authorities to ensure that those found with drugs are not abandoned, but sent to rehabilitation centres.
In Kampong Cham, drug tests were conducted on over 12,000 civil servants, with only two positive results returned.
“If any civil servant is dismissed from their position, they should not be left behind. Authorities must coordinate with rehabilitation centres to get them appropriate treatment and then reintegrate them into society. Although they cannot rejoin the civil service, they can return to their communities and engage in business,” said Savoeun.
Directive 01, issued in February 2024, aims to “clean the lake of weeds” by eradicating drug-related offending among civil servants and law enforcement officials.
Savoeun called on provincial authorities to continue drug testing to the fullest extent possible and also encouraged the public to use the "NoDrug" mobile app to report drug-related cases.
Since its launch in April 2024, the app has been downloaded and used by nearly 40,000 individuals, leading to nearly 600 reported complaints, many of which have been successfully addressed by authorities.
The NACD chair also announced that starting in 2024, Cambodia has relocated its drug incineration site from Koh Pich to a brick kiln outside Phnom Penh to mitigate the impact on local residents.
Savoeun noted that Cambodia has received praise from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for its efforts in raising awareness about drug issues through multi-stakeholder involvement, extending beyond civil servants.
In 2024, Cambodian authorities seized approximately 14.7 tonnes of illegal drugs, a huge increase over the 2.29 tonnes confiscated in 2023.
The number of drug-related arrests also rose, from 19,940 in 2023 to 26,033 in 2024, marking a 30.5 per cent jump. Among the suspects, 954 were foreigners, according to the NACD.
