Cambodia burns $70 million in seized illegal drugs while urging public awareness of their dangers | World

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian authorities destroyed more than seven tons of illicit drugs and their ingredients Friday, an anti-drug official said, educating people about their dangers is the best way to fight against illegal trade.

Some 4.1 tons of the items destroyed were drugs, including heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, ecstasy and ketamine, which had been confiscated from traffickers across the country, the agency said. National Drug Control Authority. The remaining 3.2 tonnes consisted of various chemicals and other ingredients used to produce illegal drugs, the statement said.

General Meas Virith, secretary-general of the anti-drug agency, said the drugs burned in a brick kiln at a ceremony on the outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh, had an estimated wholesale value of $22.7 million and a market value of $22.7 million. nearly $70 million. Had they not been seized, they could have harmed millions of people, he said.

He said the best way to combat illegal drugs now is to educate Cambodians from all walks of life about the dangers they pose. It's better to teach people not to use or deal in illegal drugs than simply crack down on people involved in criminal activity, he said.

“As you know, if we only use repressive measures, we have to do it repeatedly. Let’s say this year we burn these things, and next year we do it again,” he said. “But if we invest in drug education, awareness and protection, drug activity will decrease. »

Meas Virith said authorities pursued more than 3,800 drug-related cases in the first five months of this year, arresting more than 10,000 people, including foreigners.

The production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine, is reaching record levels in Southeast Asia and poses a major threat to societies there, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

“Seizures of crystal methamphetamine have increased year on year in Cambodia for the seventh consecutive year, reaching more than 1.4 tonnes in 2023, showing the continued expansion of the market for this drug in the country,” he said. the UN agency said in a statement. report last month.

“The amount of heroin seized doubled in 2023. This increase in heroin seizures was observed in several countries in East and Southeast Asia, which could indicate a reinvigoration of the heroin market in the region after a drop in seizures the previous year. »

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