Cambodian authorities, working with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), have seized nearly 1,000 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and arrested eight people in an operation targeting suspected maritime drug trafficking, according to the US Embassy in Cambodia.

In a Facebook post today, the embassy said the DEA had worked with Cambodia’s Anti-Drug Police (ADP) and Koh Kong provincial police to stop fishing boats suspected of transporting narcotics from Koh Kong Port to vessels in international waters.

The operation resulted in eight arrests and the seizure of approximately 979 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, the embassy said.

“The United States is proud to stand with Cambodia against drug trafficking and the criminal networks that threaten the safety and health of our people,” the embassy stated.

The embassy added that the seized drugs would no longer reach communities in the United States, Cambodia or other countries.

It also said criminal syndicates use Cambodia as a transit country for narcotics trafficking, reaffirming the DEA’s commitment to supporting Cambodian authorities in efforts to combat these networks.