National drug authorities plan to destroy three tons of sassafras oil, which can be used in the manufacturing of methamphetamines, in Pursat province next month, officials said Wednesday.
The Interior Ministry collected the oil, which can be harnessed from Cambodia’s forests, in Battambang, Pursat and Kampot provinces, Gen. Lour Ramin, secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, told reporters.
The destruction of the oil comes as officials worry Cambodia may be transforming into a production, rather than transshipment, country in the drug trade. Police raided a large methamphetamine lab last year, arresting 18 people and seizing three tons of production chemicals.
Interior Minister Sar Kheng said he admires the work of authorities who seized the oil this year and the chemicals last year, but he cautioned that Cambodia remains a country of drugs and trafficking.
