100+Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - and Equipment Seized in Police Raids

Cambodia news in English! Here you'll find all the breaking news from Cambodia translated into English for our international readership and expat community to read and comment on. The majority of our news stories are gathered from the local Khmer newspapers, but we also bring you newsworthy media from Cambodia before you read them anywhere else. Because of the huge population of the capital city, most articles are from Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Kampot often make the headlines as well. We report on all arrests and deaths of foreigners in Cambodia, and the details often come from the Cambodian police or local Khmer journalists. As an ASEAN news outlet, we also publish regional news and events from our neighboring countries. We also share local Khmer news stories that you won't find in English anywhere else. If you're looking for a certain article, you may use our site's search feature to find it quickly.
User avatar
AndyKK
Expatriate
Posts: 6448
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 7:32 am
Reputation: 2248
Great Britain

Re: 100+Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - and Equipment Seized in Police Raids

Post by AndyKK »

John Bingham wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 5:11 pm The machines look to me to be for pressing pills and drying them rather than synthesizing anything.
You are possibly part of the way there with your detective work, but the manufacture of high grade "Yaba" pills would have been available in the city at low cost shortly I would have expected.
Always "hope" but never "expect".
User avatar
Ghostwriter
Expatriate
Posts: 3096
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:01 am
Reputation: 1998
France

Re: 100s of Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - Seized in Police Raids

Post by Ghostwriter »

Sambodia wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 7:13 am i don't know how to paste images here)
Easy :
1- You're on a CEO page
2- You open a second tab, and search for your image on Google + image search
3- You click on the chosen photo : it widens it out of the selection
4- You right-click on it and select "copy image link"
5- You go on your CEO thread, hit 'Reply"to create a comment
6- You click the icon representing a photo of all the blue icons above your post / that's the ninth starting from the left
7- You right-click "paste" beetween the 2 symbols that appeared in your comment.
8- ..and you type your comment after that (or even before, just click "enter" several times before the first image symbol to create some space for text

This saves the hassle of downloading a pic then upload it to CEO, which has a low size limit for uploads nowadays. Staight link to the pic.

Image
Sambodia
Expatriate
Posts: 78
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:44 am
Reputation: 47
Cambodia

Re: 100s of Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - Seized in Police Raids

Post by Sambodia »

Ghostwriter wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 7:30 pm
Sambodia wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 7:13 am i don't know how to paste images here)
Easy :
1- You're on a CEO page
2- You open a second tab, and search for your image on Google + image search
3- You click on the chosen photo : it widens it out of the selection
4- You right-click on it and select "copy image link"
5- You go on your CEO thread, hit 'Reply"to create a comment
6- You click the icon representing a photo of all the blue icons above your post / that's the ninth starting from the left
7- You right-click "paste" beetween the 2 symbols that appeared in your comment.
8- ..and you type your comment after that (or even before, just click "enter" several times before the first image symbol to create some space for text

This saves the hassle of downloading a pic then upload it to CEO, which has a low size limit for uploads nowadays. Staight link to the pic.

Image
Image

Thanks for the excellent instructions mon ami, above is how they package and label the top quality heroin from Myanmar, it does say 100% pure in Chinese, a bit different from the green tea labels, but the primary purpose of both packages is to indicate quality as its a signature or brand of the organization that produced it
Sambodia
Expatriate
Posts: 78
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:44 am
Reputation: 47
Cambodia

Re: 100s of Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - Seized in Police Raids

Post by Sambodia »

Ghostwriter wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 1:43 pm Thank you for your explanation.
Well, it looks pretty scary, the scale of it, the size of the city, the randomness, the whole chain from production to end customer.
Yes very scary, this is a huge bust worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. its also interesting to me how popular illicitly produced ketamine is becoming with the local population of drug users. You used to be able to walk into almost any pharmacy in cambodia and buy pharmaceutical-grade ketamine, but the police cracked down on it a few years ago so now only a few pharmacies that will sell it and not openly, so its gotten more expensive. So of course the traffickers start importing large amounts of illicitly produced ketamine which is not as safe as the pharmaceutical grade and use becomes more popular. It really illustrates the problems with drug prohibition
User avatar
AndyKK
Expatriate
Posts: 6448
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 7:32 am
Reputation: 2248
Great Britain

Re: 100+Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - and Equipment Seized in Police Raids

Post by AndyKK »

I don't know about ketamine or of its grades, infact I have only known of such drugs, that including Ice and Yaba since being in SE Asia. These drugs don't and would have never interested myself, but it is a worrying thought about people on these kind of drugs that can easily turn them violent I am led to understand, not a good scenario if you happened to be alone on the street or having a quite drink and you was a target of theaft by such people.
I do remember years ago (being more popular with the backpacker crowed) was Valium bought from local pharmacies to aid the traveler with long uncomfortable journeys. Once the pharmacist got wind of this the price went up 10 fold, but the its the same with anything now that is said to help with Covid.
Always "hope" but never "expect".
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13679
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8895
Cambodia

Re: 100+Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - and Equipment Seized in Police Raids

Post by John Bingham »

AndyKK wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 11:20 pm I don't know about ketamine or of its grades, infact I have only known of such drugs, that including Ice and Yaba since being in SE Asia.
Cocaine is still used in medicine and dentistry and Heroin is just an old brand name for diamorphine which is still used as a painkiller in terminal patients - however these are only manufactured in tiny quantities and are very restricted so very little ends up sold on the black market. Ice is a crystalized form of methamphetamine and yaba is a cheap methamphetamine/ caffeine pill - neither have any medical use although there are uses for amphetamines in medicine. The big difference with Ketamine is that it is used in anesthesia in hospitals all over the world, and that isn't going to stop anytime soon. As mentioned above most illicit ketamine now comes from illegal factories in China rather than being diverted from pharma use.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
User avatar
Ghostwriter
Expatriate
Posts: 3096
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:01 am
Reputation: 1998
France

Re: 100s of Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - Seized in Police Raids

Post by Ghostwriter »

Sambodia wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:45 pm
Ghostwriter wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 1:43 pm Thank you for your explanation.
Well, it looks pretty scary, the scale of it, the size of the city, the randomness, the whole chain from production to end customer.
Yes very scary, this is a huge bust worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. its also interesting to me how popular illicitly produced ketamine is becoming with the local population of drug users. You used to be able to walk into almost any pharmacy in cambodia and buy pharmaceutical-grade ketamine, but the police cracked down on it a few years ago so now only a few pharmacies that will sell it and not openly, so its gotten more expensive. So of course the traffickers start importing large amounts of illicitly produced ketamine which is not as safe as the pharmaceutical grade and use becomes more popular. It really illustrates the problems with drug prohibition
I can understand why heavy narcotics were sold through pharmacies without hassle, after such a country disaster.
I can understand why police cracked that down, if the product is supposed to be less needed with time, but the consumers are growing.

But the proportions beetween population and quantities seized are disproportionate. I assume Kow is the main supplier's canal to Vietnam ?

I guess the other surrounding countries have easier access to supply or even production to these drugs, so all of it is for the local market + Vietnam ?
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13679
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8895
Cambodia

Re: 100s of Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - Seized in Police Raids

Post by John Bingham »

Ghostwriter wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 12:40 am
Sambodia wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:45 pm
Ghostwriter wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 1:43 pm Thank you for your explanation.
Well, it looks pretty scary, the scale of it, the size of the city, the randomness, the whole chain from production to end customer.
Yes very scary, this is a huge bust worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. its also interesting to me how popular illicitly produced ketamine is becoming with the local population of drug users. You used to be able to walk into almost any pharmacy in cambodia and buy pharmaceutical-grade ketamine, but the police cracked down on it a few years ago so now only a few pharmacies that will sell it and not openly, so its gotten more expensive. So of course the traffickers start importing large amounts of illicitly produced ketamine which is not as safe as the pharmaceutical grade and use becomes more popular. It really illustrates the problems with drug prohibition
I can understand why heavy narcotics were sold through pharmacies without hassle, after such a country disaster.
I can understand why police cracked that down, if the product is supposed to be less needed with time, but the consumers are growing.

But the proportions beetween population and quantities seized are disproportionate. I assume Kow is the main supplier's canal to Vietnam ?

I guess the other surrounding countries have easier access to supply or even production to these drugs, so all of it is for the local market + Vietnam ?
There is a huge amount of domestic consumption but this is the main hub in the region for narcotics that are trafficked to Thailand, Vietnam and many further destinations.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
User avatar
Ghostwriter
Expatriate
Posts: 3096
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:01 am
Reputation: 1998
France

Re: 100+Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - and Equipment Seized in Police Raids

Post by Ghostwriter »

I can't help but being grateful i'm only attracted to weed, for my own relaxation. Never tried the chemical seized stuff, except a few E's in my time ( 1996-2002 what a dancefloor era, but hey, moderation was the key).
Since alcohol is widely available, i do not see any reasons to keep weed illegal, except external pressions (asean requirements and such) and a vague feeling that people would be less productive in factories (which i do not believe much).

What's your input about that, Khmer posters ? (yeah, locals, so i can get a local feedback, not a local expatriate's feedback, at least at first).

Also, ketamine is supposed to slow down the user i guess
Image
but shabu, yabba, meth & general amphets are supposed to give a kick
Image
So it is the same population mixing both, or is there different classes of users, in the main scheme of manufactured consumption ?
Sambodia
Expatriate
Posts: 78
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:44 am
Reputation: 47
Cambodia

Re: 100+Kilos of Drugs - Meth and Ketamine - and Equipment Seized in Police Raids

Post by Sambodia »

Ghostwriter wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:20 am I can't help but being grateful i'm only attracted to weed, for my own relaxation. Never tried the chemical seized stuff, except a few E's in my time ( 1996-2002 what a dancefloor era, but hey, moderation was the key).
Since alcohol is widely available, i do not see any reasons to keep weed illegal, except external pressions (asean requirements and such) and a vague feeling that people would be less productive in factories (which i do not believe much).

What's your input about that, Khmer posters ? (yeah, locals, so i can get a local feedback, not a local expatriate's feedback, at least at first).

Also, ketamine is supposed to slow down the user i guess

but shabu, yabba, meth & general amphets are supposed to give a kick

So it is the same population mixing both, or is there different classes of users, in the main scheme of manufactured consumption ?
In KOW, they're both considered "party drugs" used by same class of users. You often read about KTVs/dance club drug busts where both are discovered together. For the record, ice is a much worse drug and much nastier than K; and in the US and EU and AUS, k is considered much softeer than ice and many people who would not dream of smoking ice, enjoy K. In fact, I'll bet those dancefloors you were on in 1996-2002 also contained people high on "special K" which is 90s drug slang for ketamine. Sometimes people mix k and ice, but taken in smaller doses K doesn't slow you down much, in high doses it puts you into a disassociative trance and you enter a "k-hole"
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot], Alex, ali baba, Clutch Cargo, Cooldude, IraHayes, Kayve, KevinTan, Semrush [Bot], siliconlife and 1284 guests