Nigerian Man Arrested With Nearly 10 kg Of Heroin And Meth In Cambodia

A 29-year-old Nigerian national, Madu Daniel Sopuru, has been arrested by the Police in Cambodia, for allegedly trafficking nearly 10 kg of narcotics.

Acting on strict orders from Major General Pech Vira, the Provincial Police Commissioner, and under the direct command of Brigadier General Keo Sotha, Deputy Commissioner for Anti-Drug Operations, local enforcement agencies conducted a coordinated effort to combat cross-border drug trafficking.

The operation conducted on Monday, July 1, 2024, at approximately 11:30pm, resulted in the arrest of the suspect on Monday midnight in Otamo village, Monorom Commune in Svay Rieng province when he was smuggling the illicit drugs.

The suspect was found to be in possession of an expired passport (number A06478250) and had no verifiable occupation or residence.

During the raid, authorities confiscated 6,954.68 grams 96.95 kg) of heroin, 2,868.09 grams (2.87 kg) of methamphetamine, one passport, two mobile phones, and one black shoulder bag containing the illicit substances.

"A total of 9.82 kg of heroin and crystal methamphetamine was confiscated from the suspect's possession during the raid," the National Police said on its website on Thursday, July 4.

"The suspect has been sent to the Svay Rieng Provincial Court for prosecution."

The Southeast Asian country has no death sentence for drug trafficking. Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be imprisoned for life.

According to the Anti-Drug Department, the kingdom detained 11,780 drug-related suspects, including more than 300 foreigners in 13 nationalities, during the January-June period of 2024, seizing a total of 5.01 tons of illicit drugs.

Most of the seized drugs were heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills and cocaine.