A 41-year-old British national was arrested as he attempted to depart Cambodia with almost 20kg of marijuana. Anti-drug department
Law enforcement officers at Phnom Penh International Airport arrested a 41-year-old Englishman who was attempting to depart the Kingdom with almost 20 kilogrammes of dried marijuana, on Tuesday, June 17.
It was reported that the would-be weed kingpin initially sourced the drugs from Thailand.
According to a June 19 statement from the Anti-Drug Department, authorities seized 22 packages of dried cannabis weighing 19.9 kilogrammes.
The suspect and the evidence have been referred to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for legal proceedings.
In Song, a spokesman for the Anti-Drug Department, said on Friday, June 20 that the British man was attempting to export the dried marijuana to the United Kingdom.
“He has been charged with transporting drug and imprisoned at the Prey Sar prison,” he said.
The operation was led by Lieutenant General Khoeng Sarath, director of the Anti-Drug Department, in cooperation with the customs and excise officials stationed at the international airport’s departure checkpoint. Deputy prosecutor Set Vannak of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court was also involved in the bust.
“According to reports from our officers, in recent weeks there has been a noticeable increase in cross-border smuggling of dried cannabis. Investigations reveal that this batch of cannabis originated from Thailand,” the Anti-Drug Department stated.
Sarath recently warned that the drug situation, both regionally and globally, is becoming increasingly complex, dangerous and concerning. He emphasised that this calls for strengthened cooperation among all officials to further enhance prevention, suppression and enforcement efforts against drug-related crimes.
On June 19, he held a video conference call with Ngo Thanh Binh, the newly appointed director of the Anti-Drug Crime Investigation Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security.
During the meeting, both sides committed to continuing joint cooperation in the fight against cross-border drug trafficking and money laundering, adhering to existing mechanisms and legal frameworks in both countries.
The Anti-Drug Department reminded the public that trafficking, transporting, storing or cultivating cannabis is illegal in Cambodia, as stipulated in the 2012 Law on the Control of Drugs.
Among the more than two tonnes of narcotics and precursor chemicals seized in the first five months of 2025, over 151 kilograms of dried cannabis and 12,212 cannabis plants were included.
