The Anti-Drug Crime Department of the National Police soon will receive a specialised X-ray machine for assisting drug crime investigations. The United States Homeland Security Department generously donated the device.

On Tuesday, Lieutenant General Kheung Sarath, director of the Anti-Drug Crime Department, welcomed Gary Narkevich, Deputy Military Attache of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Cambodia to seal the agreement to receive X-ray equipment from the US government.

The Anti-Drug Department noted that in the past, law enforcement agencies from the United States and Cambodia have worked well together to cooperate on enforcement of anti-drug laws.

Deputy Director of the Anti-Drug Department, Major General In Song, said yesterday that the United States provided this tool to Cambodia due to the increasingly severe illegal drug situation in the country.

“The United States is providing this device due to two main reasons: first, a request from our side, and second, the current illegal drug situation, which presents numerous challenges,” he said.

He said that the X-ray device can facilitate investigations for authorities, especially at the gates in the international airports.

“This device helps us check suspicious goods passing through the place. We do not need to search manually. We just position this device and it can scan,” Maj Gen Song added.

Wesley Holzer, spokesperson at the US Embassy, said yesterday that the United States is committed to the fight against trafficking and trade in illicit drugs.

He said that the HSI, in conjunction with the Department of State Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) Program, is providing X-ray equipment to the Anti-Drug Crime Department of the National Police and the General Department of Customs and Excise as part of a longstanding cooperation for law enforcement activities aimed at preventing international drug trafficking.

“The equipment provides state-of-the-art wireless X-ray imaging technology and analysis software in a compact frame designed for mobile applications,” he said.

• Tags: Anti-Drug Crime Dept, X-ray machine