Cambodia: Life sentence for former anti-drug head CAMBODIA

Former Cambodian head the National Authority for Combating Drugs Moek Dara (C) talks to journalist after his verdict in front of a court of Banteay Meanchey province, some 350 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh on January 5, 2012. A Cambodian court sentenced the former chief of the country's anti-drug agency and his aide to life in jail for corruption and narcotics trafficking, a court official said. less Former Cambodian head the National Authority for Combating Drugs Moek Dara (C) talks to journalist after his verdict in front of a court of Banteay Meanchey province, some 350 kilometers northwest of Phnom ... more Photo: Str, AFP/Getty Images Photo: Str, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Cambodia: Life sentence for former anti-drug head 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Phnom Penh, Cambodia --

The former head of Cambodia's antidrug office was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for masterminding a drug ring from his office, a court official said.

Lt. Gen. Mok Dara, secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs until his arrest last January, faced more than 30 counts of bribery and drug trafficking and was given a life sentence in Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court, prosecutor Phan Vanroth said.

An associate, anti-drug officer Chea Leang, also received a life sentence, while a third defendant, Morn Doeun, who was at large, was sentenced to 25 years by the court in the northwestern province, which borders Thailand.

The case, which lasted several weeks, was one of the largest to go through Cambodia's court system and involved the testimonies of scores of witnesses.

Cambodia has been working in recent years to reduce corruption. Mok Dara's is the latest in a string of cases brought by the government's new Anti-Corruption Unit.

In November, Banteay Meanchey's former police chief, Hun Hean, was sentenced to four years in prison after confessing to accepting more than $100,000 in bribes, according to local media.

Mok Dara maintained he was innocent, people attending the proceedings said.

Nop Virak, a trial monitor at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights who observed the case, said Mok Dara's sentencing will serve as a warning to corrupt officials.