Cambodian court gives harsh sentences to two British men for cannabis trafficking

Cambodian court gives harsh sentences to two British men for cannabis trafficking
Wajackoyah told this writer that though he has never smoked bhang in his entire life, he will do it to "mark a new beginning in the country"/FILE

PHNOM PENH, Feb 24 – Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday convicted two British nationals of smuggling dry marijuana and gave them harsh sentences, according to a verdict.

Robert Brown, 41, was sentenced to 14 years in jail, and Hogg Jordan James, 28, was imprisoned for 10 years, the verdict said, adding that the court also fined both convicts 24 million riels (6,000 U.S. dollars) in total.

The duo was charged with “drug use, possession, trafficking and transport under Articles 40 and 45 of Cambodian Law on Drug Control,” said the verdict pronounced by Phnom Penh Municipal Court presiding judge Tithsothy Borachat.

Both men were arrested by anti-drug police on June 17, 2025, for attempting to smuggle 19.9 kg of marijuana from Cambodia to Britain through the Phnom Penh International Airport.

The marijuana was believed to have come from Thailand.Under Cambodia’s law, the convicts have one month to appeal against the verdict.

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