Court charges man with drug trafficking

Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun

Sophath Mony Sal, 46, arrives at Phnom Penh Municipal Court for a hearing on drugs charges today.

via CAAI

Thursday, 24 February 2011 21:17 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday charged a 46-year-old Cambodian man with drug trafficking, Vice Prosecutor Meas Chan Pesit said.

Sophath Mony Sal was arrested on Wednesday in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district on suspicion of shipping packages of heroin to Australia over an unspecified number of years.

“Sophath Mony Sal is a big drug trafficker in Cambodia. He has been involved with [drug] trafficking activities within Cambodia and in shipping drugs from Cambodia to Australia,” said Mak Veasna, a police officer at the General Commissariat of the Cambodian National Police.

He said Australian authorities alerted Cambodian police to the man’s activities after an Australian associate of Sophath Mony Sal was arrested and questioned.

According to the police report, Sophath Mony Sal allegedly sent a total of 4 kilogrammes of heroin to Australia in four shipments via a transport company since 2006.

“Australian authorities identified the man for us and outlined his trafficking activities, after which we started an investigation and followed him,” said Mak Veasna.

He added that a raid on his house did not turn up any drugs or drug-related material, but his illegal activities have been documented by Australian authorities.