PHNOM PENH: The Minister of Interior, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng, has said that authorities seized more than 84 tons of chemicals for drug use in 2021, an increase of more than 1000% compared to 2020.

Writing on his personal Facebook page, DPM Sar Kheng expressed concern over the increase in imports of drugs and drug ingredients to Cambodia, saying that in 2021, Cambodia continued to be adversely affected by the negative situation with a high risk of drugs. He said that this problem will not be easy to tackle.

"I can confirm that even if the Covid-19 problem is not yet diminished, it is still likely to come to an end one day, but the drug problem will not," he wrote. "It is not easy to find an end to this because criminals continue to find new ways to produce and distribute drugs."

DPM Sar Kheng revealed the data of the crackdown on drug criminals in 2021, which included 6,308 drug crimes (a decrease of 4,153 cases compared to 2020) and arrested a total of 13,979 suspects (including 8,672 suspects in trafficking cases, 5,264 drug users, 9 cultivators and 34 processors). Among those suspects, 365 were foreigners.

He also added that in 2021, the police seized a total of more than 4 tons and 689 kilograms of drugs, and cracked down on 53,187 fresh marijuana, and more than 135 kilograms of dried marijuana plants, while the drug chemical crackdown of about 84 tons indicated an increase of more than 1000% from the previous year. In these crackdowns, the police also confiscated a total of 79 firearms from criminals.

"Although the number of drug cases cracked down by the authorities has decreased, the number of cases of major drug offenses has increased, with a total of about 80 tons of drugs seized, including dangerous large-scale automatic processing machines in Phnom Penh and other provinces, bordering Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, both coming in at the post office and transported by the sea," he further wrote.

DPM Sar Kheng has called on all citizens to join the fight against drugs, not to be involved in drugs, not to obstruct the implementation of the law on drug offenders, not to make concessions to drug offenders and to report to the authorities any drug offenses.

On January 25, the Minister of Interior blamed a lack of cooperation between drug officials and the Ministry in charge of issuing license, for the increase of drug traffickers bringing in drugs to Cambodia, and most recently and notably, a total of more than 100 tons that was seized in the third weekend of January.

He put pressure on one particular Minister that provides these licenses, by saying that without meticulous review, this Minister would be indebted to the Cambodian people for damaging public health. One day after DPM Sar Kheng’s remarks, the Minister of Agriculture ordered the General Department of Agriculture of the Ministry to pay more attention to the control of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that can be used in drug production, requiring cooperation with the drug authorities to carefully check for the entrance of these chemical fertilizers and drugs into Cambodia.