PHNOM PENH, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has recorded a significant rise in both the number of people arrested and the amount of narcotics seized in the first five months of 2024, according to an Anti-Drug Police Department (ADP)'s report on Monday.
The authorities had detained 9,369 drug-related suspects during the January-May period this year, up 29 percent from 7,230 over the same period last year, the report said, adding that 324 suspects were foreigners in 13 nationalities.
"A total of 4.71 tons of illicit drugs had been confiscated from those suspects during the January-May period of 2024," the report said.
It added that merely 784.8 kg of illicit drugs had been seized during the first five months of 2023.
Most of the seized drugs this year were ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets, heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine.
The Southeast Asian country has ramped up efforts in combating illicit drugs since August last year when Prime Minister Hun Manet took office.
All armed forces and civil servants in the kingdom have been required to undergo drug tests, and those with positive results will be dismissed without any exceptions. ■