PHNOM PENH, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday burned down 477.7 kg of illicit drugs to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, officials said.

Deputy Prime Minister Ke Kim Yan, also chairman of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, set fire on the drugs at a ceremony held at the Diamond Island in capital Phnom Penh.

"The burning of the drugs today is a message to the criminals that the Cambodian government is strongly committed to cracking down on all types of illicit drugs," he said. "We will not only seize their drugs for destruction, but also seek to confiscate their assets."

Kim Yan said the burned drugs included methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy, heroin and ketamine, among others.

During the January-May period of 2020, the authorities have arrested 8,927 drug-related suspects in 4,510 cases and seized 209 kg of drugs, he said.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court's prosecutor Keo Sothea said at the event that the burned drugs had been seized from the criminals last year during crackdowns made in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kampong Speu and Takeo provinces.

Cambodia has no death sentence for drug traffickers. Under its law, anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be jailed for life. Enditem

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