Bangkok: An Australian woman born in Vietnam has been arrested at Phnom Penh's international airport with 1.8 kilograms of heroin allegedly hidden in a suitcase case .

Australian Federal Police played a key role in the arrest of 39 year-old Ve Thi Tran on Saturday morning as she was about to fly to Australia via Hong Kong.

Police arrest an Australian woman allegedly with 1.8 kilograms of heroin hidden in a suitcase.

Ms Tran, who was born in the Vietnamese city of Hue, faces years in Cambodia's notoriously harsh prison system if found guilty of drug trafficking.

Photos released by Cambodian authorities show Ms Tran standing in front of seven packets of a white product on a set of scales.