CAMBODIA CAMBODIA Emerging trends and concerns • Transnational and Asian drug trafficking groups continue to target Cambodia as a source, transit and desti- nation country for amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and other illicit drugs. • The availability and use of methamphetamine in pill and crystalline form continues to expand. A large and growing majority of persons arrested for drug-related offences or persons submitted for drug treatment in- volve methamphetamine. • Crystalline methamphetamine and cocaine seizures in Cambodia in 2012 are the highest ever reported from the country. Overview of the drug situation There is continued increase in the availability and use of methamphetamine in pill and crystalline form. In The manufacture, trafficking and use of ATS is signifi- 2012, record amounts of crystalline methamphetamine cant and is becoming increasingly problematic in Cam- and cocaine were seized in Cambodia. bodia. Drug law enforcement authorities continue to dismantle a significant number of facilities that illicitly manufacture methamphetamine or produce precursor Patterns and trends of drug use chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine and MDMA. In 2012, several ATS manufacturing fa- There are no consistent statistics available on the ex- cilities were dismantled, most of which were located in act number of drug users in Cambodia. In 2012, the Phnom Penh. National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) estimated the number of drug users in Cambodia at Transnational organized criminal groups, particularly 4,057.2 However, in March 2013, NACD officials sug- from Asia and West Africa, continue to use Cambodia to gested that the number of drug users was considerably manufacture and transit ATS, their precursor chemicals, higher and likely to be in excess of 10,000.3 In recent and other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The years, illicit drug use, previously primarily concentrated illicit harvesting and export of safrole-rich oils (SRO),1 in urban areas, has expanded to rural parts of the coun- which can be used as a precursor for MDMA, remains try, particularly in provinces adjacent to Lao People’s an environmental and law enforcement concern. Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Thailand.4 2 ‘Summary Report on the Control of Drug Related Matters’, National 1 Safrole is a substance listed in Table 1 of the United Nations Con- Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), presented at the Twenty- vention Against Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic third Anti-Drug Liaison Officials’ Meeting for International Coopera- Substances of 1988, as well as in the Cambodia’s Drug Law. The Inter- tion (ADLOMICO), Jeju, Republic of Korea, 26-28 June 2013. national Narcotics Control Board defines safrole-rich oils as being ‘any 3 ‘MINI Dublin Group Cambodia’, United Nations Office on Drugs and mixtures or natural products containing safrole present in such a way Crime (UNODC), Phnom Penh, April 2013. that it can be used or recovered by readily applicable means’; ‘Precur- 4 Cambodia country report, International Narcotics Control Strategy Re- sors and chemicals frequently used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic port (INCSR), Bureau of International Narcotics Law Enforcement Af- drugs and psychotropic substances 2008’, International Narcotics Con- fairs, U.S. Department of State (Accessed at: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/ trol Board (INCB), Vienna, February 2009. rls/nrcrpt/2012/vol1/184098.htm; date accessed: 23 August 2012). Embargoed: 8 November 2013 - 11h00 ICT (Bangkok) 53 Global SMART Programme 2013 Table 28. Rank of primary drugs of concern in Cambodia, 2008-2012 Drug type 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Methamphetamine pills ● 2 1 2 2 Crystalline methamphetamine ● 1 2 1 1 Ecstasy ● ● ● 6 ● Cannabis herb ● ● 4 4 4 Heroin ● ● 3 5 ● Inhalants ● ● ● 3 3 ● = Not reported Source(s): DAINAP; ‘Country Report of Drug Situation in Cambodia’, National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), presented at the Fifteenth Asia-Pacific Operational Drug Enforcement Conference (ADEC), Tokyo, 2-5 February 2010; Official communication with the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), 25 April 2012; Cambodia country presentation, National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), presented at the Global SMART Programme Regional Workshop, Jakarta, 28-29 August 2013 Table 29. Trend in use of selected drugs in Cambodia, 2008-2012 Drug type 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Methamphetamine pills ● ● Crystalline methamphetamine ● ● Ecstasy ● ● ● Cannabis herb ● ● ● ● Heroin ● ● ● ● = Increasing, = Decreasing, = Stable, ● = Not reported Source(s): DAINAP; NACD, April 2012; NACD, August 2013 Injecting drug use reports of any other new psychoactive substance in use in Cambodia. Injecting drug use, including of methamphetamine, in Cambodia, continues to be on the rise.5 Accord- ing to the National AIDS Authority of Cambodia, Drug treatment HIV prevalence in 2011 was 24.1% for the estimated 1,900 injecting drug users in Cambodia.6 In 2012, Cambodia currently has 13 Temporary Centers for Drug the ‘National Population Size Estimation, HIV Preva- Education and Rehabilitation that are managed by Gov- lence and Related Risk Behaviors’ (under the auspice ernment Ministries and the civilian/military police, Min- of the NACD, Ministry of Health and AusAID), re- istry of Social Affairs and non-governmental organizations ported that HIV prevalence slightly increased among (NGOs).8 In 2012, a total of 1,162 drug users received injecting users to 24.8%. The same study reported a treatment and rehabilitation services at these centres, significant increase of approximately 4% in HIV in- most of which used crystalline methamphetamine (74%) fections among non-injecting drug users.7 and methamphetamine pills (15%). The majority (56%) of drug users at the centres were aged 18 to 25 years.9 New psychoactive substances However, international and government agencies are concerned that drug treatment centres in Cambodia do Over the past 5 years, there have been limited seizures not have sufficient treatment focus. International techni- of ketamine in Cambodia. Less than 0.5 kg of ket- cal experts working in the field have sought to address amine was seized in 2008; and just over 1 gram report- this gap by developing medical treatment services with edly seized annually up to 2012. There have been no the support of the Royal Government of Cambodia and 5 Op. cit. NACD, June 2013. 6 ‘Cambodia Country Progress Report: Monitoring the Progress towards 8 ‘Country Report on Drug Situation in Cambodia’, National Author- the Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV and ity for Combating Drugs (NACD), presented at the Seventeenth Asia- AIDS, Reporting Period January 2010-December 2011,’ National AIDS Pacific Operational Drug Enforcement Conference (ADEC), Tokyo, Authority (NAA), Phnom Penh, 2012. 14-16 February 2012. 7 HAARP Steering Committee Meeting, Phnom Penh, April 2013. 9 Op. cit. NACD, August 2013. Embargoed: 8 November 2013 - 11h00 ICT (Bangkok) 54 CAMBODIA the UN Country Team. This has led to the emergence of voluntary community-based treatment as an alternative Figure 20. Drug-related arrests in Cambo- to compulsory treatment centers. This approach, cham- dia, 2008-2012 pioned by the government and piloted in Banteay Man- 3,000 cheay Province, is showing promising results in reducing 2,500 2,381 drug dependence and providing healthcare among drug s st users. In 2012, community-based treatment services were 2,000 1,788 extended to Stung Treng and Battambang province. By rre 1,500 of a the end of 2012, the Community-Based Treatment pro- er 1,000 gramme had provided training for 170 health officials mb 684 615 Nu 394 and provided ongoing treatment for an estimated 1,292 500 drug users, of which 1,085 (84%) were ATS users.10 0 20082009 2010 2011 2012 Source(s): DAINAP; ‘Brief Operaon Results of Cambodia Law Drug-related arrests, seizures and prices Enforcement in Combang Drugs 2012’, Naonal Authority for Combang Drugs (NACD), 2013 Drug-related arrests – Cambodia does not provide drug-related arrest data disaggregated by drug type. bodia remain low compared to other countries in the The total number of persons arrested for drug-related region. In 2012, a total of 1,373 ecstasy pills were offences in Cambodia decreased by 25% from 2,381 seized, marking an 83% decline from 2011 when persons in 2011 to 1,788 persons in 2012. These fig- 7,855 pills were seized.13 ures are still considerably higher than those recorded between 2006-2010, when an annual average of 517 The smuggling and diversion of precursor chemicals arrests were made.11 In recent years, most drug-related from licit trade channels continues to be a problem in arrests have been related to ATS use.12 Cambodia. In 2012, an estimated 52 tons of precur- sor chemicals were seized in the country.14 Drug seizures – During the past 3 years, crystalline methamphetamine seizures have increased signifi- Safrole-rich oils (SRO) continue to be illegally har- cantly in Cambodia. In 2012, a total of 33.5 kg of vested and sold in Cambodia. SRO have various licit crystalline methamphetamine was seized, marking a commercial uses in the perfume and pesticide indus- 75% increase since 2011, when 19.1 kg was seized. try, but are at risk of being diverted for the illicit man- This signifies the highest amount ever reported by ufacture of ecstasy. Cambodia is one of 3 countries in the country. Methamphetamine pill seizures declined the region (along with China and Viet Nam) known by about 53% from 238,994 pills seized in 2011 to to possess specific SRO production and trade regu- 112,723 pills in 2012. Ecstasy pill seizures in Cam- lation. In 2012, SRO seizures increased considerably Table 30. Seizures of selected drugs in Cambodia, 2008-2012 Drug type Measurement 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Methamphetamine pills pills 116,772 137,249 82,746 238,994 112,723a Crystalline methamphetamine kg 1.9b 4.6 9.9 19.1 33.5 Ecstasy pills 33 3,352 1,056 7,855 1,373c Cannabis herb kg 5.0 3.8 1.2 210.2 2.4 Cocaine kg 0.2 1.0 0.9 1.1 41.0 Heroin kg 5.3 26.7 2.4 2.1 0.3 ● = Not reported/unspecified amount.a Reported as 61,170 methamphetamine pills plus 5,155.3 grams; converted into estimated pill equivalents at 100 mg per pill.