PHNOM PENH: A prisoner who was freed by a group of masked men while at a supervised dentist appointment has been found after five days on the run. On August 22, Phnom Penh authorities arrested drug lord Chen Hsin Han in Chroy Changvar district, who has been serving a 52 year sentence since 2009.

 At a press conference on the morning of August 23, Deputy General Commissioner of the National Police for Drug Crime Suppression, General Mok Chito, said that a prison break of this nature was unprecedented in Cambodia.

"Obviously this man ordered an outside group to act. He had a wife who was a source of capital to send money to the criminals," said General Mok Chito.

He pointed out that during the five days after the prisoner escaped from a dental clinic in Siem Reap, he tried to flee across the borders to Thailand and Laos, but that authorities had already been informed and prepared for his attempts, so he was forced to turn around and hide out in Phnom Penh.

The Deputy Commissioner confirmed that the case is not yet over, as the authorities continue to search for more relevant suspects, especially those who organized the armed men to release the prisoner. He said that the court is likely to hand out a more severe sentence for the attempted escape and the drug trafficker could now face life in prison.