Three Get Up to 20 Years for Drug Trafficking
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday sentenced three Taiwanese citizens between 12 and 20 years in prison for attempting to move mor
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday sentenced threeTaiwanese citizens between 12 and 20 years in prison for their involvement inthe export of more than 1.2 kilograms of heroin from Cambodia. Huang Chih Huang, 34, was sentenced to 20 years in prisonand fined 60 million riel, or about $15,000. Lin Hui Min, 17, and Wu Chia Hsun,16, both women, received 12 years and fines of 40 million riel, about $10,000, each. The three are being held at Prey Sar prison, on theoutskirts of Phnom Penh, following their arrestin December 2007 at Phnom PenhInternational Airport,when police confiscated heroin packets hidden under their clothes. "The three confessed that they were hired to bringheroin from Cambodia to Taiwan,"court deputy prosecutor Sok Kalyan said. "They are poor, and they did thatfor money." Lawyers for the three were not available for comment. Center for Social Development court monitor Hang Charya saidthe three had confessed to transporting the drugs for money. Lor Ramin, secretary-general of the National Authority forCombating Drugs, said Friday that police were so far only able to arrest peoplewho are hired to transport the drugs, instead of breaking up the organized crime networkinvolved. Police are continuing the investigation into the drugnetwork, but would require help from Interpol, Lor Ramin said. Taiwanese groups committed some of the most drug traffickingin Cambodia,he said.