On June 25, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and National Authority for Combating Drugs chairman Neth Savoeun said at an International Day Against Drug Abuse commemoration that more than 140,000 civil servants and armed-forces personnel had undergone drug testing since 2024. A total of 112 tested positive.
According to the briefing, 109 of those who tested positive had been dismissed from public service under the rules. The remaining three cases were still under investigation, with outcomes to be announced later.
Neth Savoeun reiterated Cambodia’s zero-tolerance stance on drug crime, saying internal oversight of public servants and military and police personnel was being tightened and drug-related offences dealt with strictly under the law to uphold discipline and integrity.
He said the global drug-control situation was becoming more complex. Digital development allows traffickers to expand criminal networks through communication tools and conceal transactions. Drug crime is often linked to transnational organized crime; rising supplies of new drugs and falling prices add to the pressure on countries’ drug-control efforts.
Neth Savoeun said drug crime was increasingly cross-border and involved new forms, requiring deeper international cooperation, innovative law-enforcement methods and improved prevention and public education to combat transnational drug crime more effectively.
He also said the National Authority for Combating Drugs had launched the official “No Drug” mobile app to provide drug-awareness and prevention information and an anonymous channel for reporting drug-related leads. Cambodia also continues targeted drug-control measures among public servants and military and police personnel, alongside “drug-free school” education and enforcement campaigns, to strengthen public protection against drugs.
