2 Chinese nationals face life sentence in Cambodia after massive drug bust

Two Chinese men have been charged for drug trafficking in Cambodia after a massive drug bust in Phnom Penh recovered 70 kg of narcotics that were headed for Vietnam.

The 40-year-old and 58-year-old suspects face counts of drug possession and trafficking, which carry a potential life sentence, The Star reported citing local media.

The duo was detained last week after police raided a property in Phnom Penh, recovering 52,768 MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) tablets, 49 kilograms of heroin and 12 kilograms of methamphetamine.

The huge shipment of drugs was reportedly bound for Vietnam and the suspects were planning to use public bus routes to move the haul.

According to The Star, the seizure of 70 kg of drugs from the Chinese nationals is one of the largest recorded in Cambodia, surpassing a 50 kg load intercepted in 2017, which was referred to as the country's largest bust at that time.

Cambodian border police in 2018 uncovered 120 kg of ecstasy on an inbound bus from Laos.

In a 2019 report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said increased enforcement at the northern border between Thailand and Myanmar had seen traffickers increasingly use Laos and Cambodia as smuggling routes for methamphetamine, The Star reported.

( With inputs from ANI )