Updated: Three provincial Anti-Drug Crimes have coordinated with the capital’s unit in a drug bust on Sunday night resulting to the death of a Chinese national. The Chinese man was allegedly engaged in a shootout with the police units conducting the operation. Two other foreign nationals were arrested. An astonishing 1400 kilograms of illegal drugs was also discovered during the raid. Police have now cordoned the mango confectionery factory believed to be a factory of drugs in Kampong Speu province where the shootout happened.

It was at Mango Rich Farm Asia Corporation in Kampong Speu province that police and alleged drug trafickers battled at the weekend. A fight that left one Chinese national dead and a ‘massive’ haul of drugs confiscated. The raid was led by police from the Anti-Drug Department from the capital and provinces of Kampong Speu, Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk.

Director of the Department of Anti-Drug Crimes, Lt. Gen. Lek Vannak has said that the massive drug crackdown took place at a mango factory called Farm Asia, in Kampong Speu province after reliable intelligence had been received. The raid was conducted in the dead of night, on approaching the lab drug dealers opened fire on police, the police immediately returned fire, leaving one suspect dead, and two others arrested.

The Chinese national who was killed during the operation was identified as Lee Tsung Han, 32 years old; while the two others arrested were identified as Chinese and Taiwanese nationals. During the raid, police seized 74 bags of suspected ketamine powder, with a total weight of 1480 kilograms, as well as a K54 handgun, and a large number of chemicals and drug processing equipment were also seized.

The alleged drug traffickers are believed to be involved in a big illegal drug activity in the provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu as well as the capital. A close monitoring of the suspects’ movements was conducted prior to the operation. Police authorities have now cordoned the mango confectionery factory in Kampong Speu.They suspected that the name mango confectionery factory is just a cover for drugs production.

This was confirmed by Kampong Speu Provincial Governor Vy Samnang to EAC News saying that the Mango Rich Farm Asia Co., Ltd., located in Sangke Satop commune, Oral district, Kampong Speu province, was besieged by the authorities to search for additional evidence related to the production and distribution of drugs. He has added that the factory has been operating for a long time, producing ordinary mangoes, but only in the last two months. Authorities have observed a series of irregularities in production and investigation before reaching a large-scale crackdown.