A former Cambodian drug tsar has been jailed for life for committing the very crime he was hired to fight.

Moek Dara took bribes and masterminded drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

He was secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs when he was arrested in January 2011, causing a media sensation.

Before taking up his post, Moek Dara was a senior member of Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party and served in the Ministry of Interior for several years.

The Banteay Meanchey provincial court also sentenced Moek Dara's aide Chea Leng to life in prison on the same charges. Another official, who is on the run, was sentenced to 25 years. The trio were fined nearly a half million dollars - the amount the court said they took in bribes.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.