In brief
In the first ten months of 2026, Cambodia detained 25,360 drug suspects, up 16.3% from the previous year, but seized 4.26 tons of narcotics—down from 5.48 tons in 2025. The crackdown captured traffickers, users, weapons and a variety of drugs, while the country’s law holds offenders under life imprisonment for large‑scale trafficking.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – On Sunday, the Anti‑Drug Department (ADP) reported that the country saw a 16.3 percent increase in drug‑related arrests during the first ten months of 2026, while the total amount of seized narcotics fell compared with the same period in 2025.
Authorities detained 25,360 drug suspects from January to October, a jump from 21,800 recorded in 2025. The higher number includes both traffickers and users.
The report noted that 1,248 of the detainees were foreign nationals from 25 different countries.
Of the total, 48.3 percent were classified as traffickers, manufacturers, possessors or transporters; 51.7 percent were recorded as drug users.
In the same period, 4.26 tons of illicit drugs and 537 kilograms of dry cannabis were confiscated, down from 5.48 tons of narcotics and 516 kilograms of dry marijuana seized in 2025.
The seizure list also included 73 pistols and 27 homemade rifles.
The confiscated drugs mainly consisted of ketamine, ecstasy, heroin, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills, cocaine, and cathinone.
Cambodia does not impose the death penalty for drug offenses; under national law, individuals convicted of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs can face life imprisonment.
