Cambodia deported 19 Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in organised phone and online scams to Japan on Tuesday (April 11), Cambodian police said.

The Japanese nationals, all male, were detained in a police operation in the southern city of Sihanoukville in late January, Cambodia’s interior ministry said. They were then sent to the capital, Phnom Penh where they were held until their deportation to Japan.

A large police motorcade arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, after which the suspects were transferred from a police bus to a Malaysia Airlines flight which would fly them back to Japan. Cambodian national police spokesperson Chhay Kimkhoeun confirmed that all 19 suspects were on the flight to Japan.

According to Japanese media reports, the Tokyo police had obtained arrest warrants for all 19 suspects. Cambodian media reported that the arrest warrants were issued after Japanese residents had been targeted by the scam operation.