AKP Phnom Penh, April 22, 2026 --

Phnom Penh police arrested 55 foreign nationals from seven countries in a coordinated raid targeting a tech scam and drug trafficking operation at a condominium on Tuesday, authorities said.

The April 21 operation at the Zhuoyufeng Condominium in Khan Meanchey of Sangkat Stung Meanchey 3 was ordered by Phnom Penh Governor H.E. Khuong Sreng and Municipal Police Chief Lt. Gen. Chuon Narin, and supervised by deputy prosecutors Seng Heang and Theng Samnang, according to the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS).

Among the detainees, 44 lacked valid passports or were on expired visas. Eleven Vietnamese nationals, including three women, were directly involved in online fraud. Seized items included 14 laptops, six mobile phones and roughly 10 kilogrammes of mixed narcotics.

Preliminary investigations indicate the syndicate targeted victims in Vietnam, using a fake website to solicit money for “VIP memberships” on a shopping platform with promises of high returns.

All suspects and evidence have been transferred to the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Headquarters for legal proceedings.

The raid came after Cambodia’s Law on Combating Technology-Enabled Scams took effect on April 7, 2026. Signed by Acting Head of State Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, the five-chapter, 24-article law criminalises online fraud, operating or leading scam centres, recruiting for cybercrime, malicious collection of identification documents, and specialised money laundering. Offenders face up to life imprisonment, fines of up to 1 billion Riel (about US$250,000) and permanent asset forfeiture.

By K. Rithy Reak