A Chinese convict who escaped from his lengthy drug trafficking sentence – with the help of an armed gang who stormed a dental clinic in Siem Reap province while he was receiving treatment on August 17 – has been taken back into custody.
Deputy National Police chief Mak Chito, who is in charge of the anti-drug crime unit, announced at an August 23 press conference that Chen Hsin Han, 45, was rearrested earlier that morning.
Chito said the National Police force had been carrying out rigorous inquiries since the August 17 breakout, and had made several arrests connected to the case in the days preceding his recapture.
He explained that he believed the convict, the leader of a drug smuggling operation, had planned the escape and ordered the armed men to liberate him from Chum Chenda Dental Clinic. So far, 11 people have been identified as accomplices in the plot.
Chito added that the convict had been sentenced to two consecutive terms of 26 years for trafficking, the second following a failed attempt to conduct smuggling from within prison. In addition to the 52 years, he is likely to receive a life sentence for ordering the August 17 breakout attempt.
He said the case will be transferred to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, while several other suspects remain under investigation.
“We need to work carefully on this case. Our investigations are almost complete, but there are several persons of interest that we need to identify,” he added.
On the morning of August 17, a group of six armed men with handguns stormed the dental clinic in Svay Dangkum commune of Siem Reap town to free the convict.
The assailants, dressed in black suits and masks, handcuffed the four prison guards who were escorting the prisoner, then made their escape in a getaway vehicle.
The vehicle, along with the guns and masks use by the offenders, was later discovered dumped, about 1km from the clinic.
