The Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court has sentenced four foreigners to life imprisonment for their roles in a 2024 drug bust. A Cambodian national received a 20-year sentence for his part in the same case.
Do Thien Quang, a 25-year-old Vietnamese man, and three Chinese nationals: Xiao Qihong, a 33-year-old man, Tang Zhang Wei, a 38-year-old male, and Zhang Chu Yu, a 32-year-old woman, all received life sentences on charges of drug production and trafficking, money laundering, and the unauthorised possession of weapons.
In addition, they were each fined 200 million riel (about $50,000).
Heng Ritha, a 38-year-old Cambodian man, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 100 million riel (about $25,000) on charges of conspiracy to produce and traffic drugs, as well as money laundering.
Three other Chinese and one Vietnamese national received two-year sentences for the possession of narcotics.
Following their release from prison, each of the eight foreigners involved in the case will be deported and barred from re-entering Cambodia.
The cases stemmed from a June 2024 raid in Preah Sihanouk province which saw the seizure of over 60 kilogrammes of ketamine and more than 50 kilogrammes of precursor chemicals, according to the Anti-Drug Department.
