Four men-two of them high ranking generals-arrested Monday on drug smuggling allegations are believed to have been involved with a smuggling ring that stretched from Cambodia to Burma, police officials said yesterday. "The crystal ice was sourced from the Golden Triangle [and moved] across Laos to Stung Treng and Kratie, Kompong Cham to Phnom Penh, and some to Banteay Meanchey province's Poipet [border crossing] to Thailand," said Chhea Socheat, deputy chief of the anti-drug police department of the Ministry of Interior. Major General Lay Virak, 57; Major General Khuon Roeurn, 60; Chheng Sunly, 26; and Soeun Seila, 20, were arrested on Monday while driving along Route 4. The men were allegedly in possession of 1 kg of methamphetamine and a piece of an ancient statue. They are expected to be charged today. According to Mr Socheat, if the men are charged with possession, they could receive sentences of up to 25 years in prison, given the amount of drugs involved. "We will ask the court to issue a warrant to arrest some of their colleagues involved with this drug ring;" added Mr Socheat. "Although they confessed that they had smuggled [drugs] only once, we do not believe them." Both Maj Gen Virak and Maj Gen Roeurn are advisers to the Defense Ministry, according to Khieu Samoan, acting director of the anti-drug department at the Ministry of Interior. Maj Gen Virak has a storied political background, having served variously as a former deputy governor of Phnoem Penh, a former Oddar Meanchey provincial governor and a commander of a royalist military resistance unit during the 1997 factional fighting against forces loyal to Prime Minister Hun Sen. "Previously, we arrested some lieutenant generals who were involved with drugs. But this is the first time we arrested a major general in a drug raid," said Mr Samoan. "We don't care if they are generals. But if they smuggle drugs, we will arrest them."
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