Background
The National Police maintain a specialized counter‑narcotics unit that conducts investigations into illegal drug distribution, trafficking, and possession. The unit operates in coordination with provincial and municipal police departments to target local trafficking networks and related criminal activity.
On 1 September 2026, counter‑narcotics investigators arrested one suspect during an operation at a rented house in Kilo Marker 4, Phsar Kandal commune, Poipet municipality, Banteay Meanchey province; the arrested person and seized items were transferred to the Banteay Meanchey provincial court for judicial processing. Provincial police commanders provided operational direction and the case file was prepared for submission to the court in line with prosecutorial procedures.
Key Developments
Law‑enforcement units conducted the operation after receiving reports from local residents about suspected illegal drug activity. The operation resulted in the detention of one male suspect identified in police reporting as Zhang Long, age 38, a Chinese national residing at the address in Phsar Kandal.
Seized items reported by authorities included:
- Four small bags of white powder, total weight 13.60 grams
- One solid piece (crystal) weighing 149.77 grams
- Three red pills
- 117 tablets of kapkhey (with 37 tablets reported as dry/missing water content)
- Two mobile phones
- One vehicle
Police documentation records that the arrested individual and the physical evidence were assembled into a case file and forwarded to the provincial court in Banteay Meanchey for further legal action.
Institutional Role
The operation was led on the ground by the deputy head of the counter‑narcotics planning unit and involved specialist teams from the Poipet municipal police. Provincial command involvement indicates co‑ordination between national counter‑narcotics units and local police forces in conducting searches, arrests, and case preparation.
Forwarding seizure exhibits and the detained suspect to the provincial court is the administrative step reported by police to initiate prosecutorial review and subsequent judicial proceedings under criminal procedure in the province.
