An American man and his Nigerian accomplice were convicted by a Cambodia court on Wednesday for drug trafficking and were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
Matthew David Sample, aged 40 from the United States, and David Vincent, aged 48 from Nigeria, were arrested in Phnom Penh in February 2021 for allegedly trafficking 1.31 kg of crystal meth and nimetazepam.
The third accused, Thiem Tola, aged 34 was sentenced to only 3 years and fined 4 million Riel for transporting, storing, and trading in the same drug.
They were charged with drug possession, transport, and trafficking under Article 40 of the Cambodian Law on Drugs Control. According to the verdict, the two men were found guilty of illicit drug possession, transport, and trafficking, and were each sentenced to 25 years in prison.
During a hearing in December last year, they confessed to the crime, saying that they possessed the drugs and tried to sell them for money, as they had no jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court also ordered both of them to pay a fine of 10,000 U.S. dollars and another Cambodian accomplice, Theam Tola, 34, was sentenced to three years in jail and fined 1,000 dollars.
On the 5th and 6th of February, 2021, the specialized force (A8) of the Department of Anti-Drug Crimes launched an operation to crack down on large-scale drug trafficking cases at 3 locations:
- At the base of the Chroy Changvar Bridge near Bayon roundabout in Sangkat Chroy Changvar, Khan Chroy Changvar, Phnom Penh
- In front of Depot Market, Nirus Road in Sangkat Phsar Depay 2, Khan Toul Kork, Phnom Penh
- At the intersection of Street 5 in New World Borey (Chamkar Dong), Sangkat Dangkor, Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh.
As a result, the police arrested the three accused and confiscated 1014.08 grams (more than 1 kg) of methamphetamine and 300.60 methamphetamines.
Thiem Tola was sentenced in 2014 to four years in prison for aggravated robbery with violence and unauthorized use of a weapon.
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