3 Nigerian men and 2 Cambodians appear in court over drug charges

On Friday, August 11, three Nigerian nationals and two Cambodians accused of selling drugs were put on trial in Phnom Penh court.

The defendants were caught selling more than one kilogram of methamphetamines/ice. They are:

Innocent Onwumere Okafor, 44
Eric Chinedu Ankker,  24
Moses Chego Enbechi, 32
Chan Rathana (known as "Miss Gold")—a 24 year-old Cambodian
Pun Rayuth—a 19 year-old Cambodian

They were arrested on 13 May 2016 while trading 1098.11 grams of meth in Thnout Chrum Village, Tom Pun Commune, Mean Chey District.

The judge found Chan Rathana and his cousin, Pun Rayuth guilty of working for the Nigerian drug dealers. Rathana confessed that they had committed this crime twice before and earned 200 USD on each occasion.

In spite of the confession made by the Cambodian defendants, the Nigerian men denied all the accusations against them, but they could not prove that they were innocent.

On the contrary, the police reported that the drugs contained 32.79 percent of meth.

The trial continues and the final verdict will be announced on 7 September 2017.