The Pailin Provincial Court decided to place a prison officer in pre-trial detention on Thursday for peddling illegal drugs to the inmates.

Pailin provincial Anti-Drug Department chief Phorng Choeum told The Post that the suspect, El Bet, 52, hails from Ochra Kandal village, Tuol Lvea commune, in Pailin city.

He was arrested on Monday after specialists from the department investigated and found 100g of methamphetamine hidden in the storage compartment of motorbike while he was attempting to deliver them to prisoners.

“Prisoners had reported that the suspect took drugs to sell in their prison. We had investigated for months before we arrested the suspect at the prison on Monday,” he said.

During the arrest, authorities confiscated a bag of methamphetamine weighing 8.3g, WY drugs weighing 0.9g, a motorbike, and two mobile phones, Choeum said.

“When being questioned, the suspect confessed that he received the drugs from the prisoners’ relatives, who hid them in food and fruits, and then delivered them to the prison. He kept some of the drugs to use himself and sold the rest to prisoners,” he said.

After questioning him on Wednesday, police sent the suspect and the evidence to the provincial court to be processed.

Choeum said police are investigating further to nab the drug network.

Pailing provincial court prosecutor Kong Chan Khemarin told The Post that the suspect was accused of possessing and dealing in drugs and sent to the provincial prison to be detained after he was questioned by a prosecutor and an investigating judge.