By JULIA DAIA BORE
NCD police arrested a man whom they believe to be a “key” suspect in a drug ring responsible for supplying marijuana to the city.
The man, from Woitape in Central province, was arrested as he arrived at the Jackson Airport with his drug cargo last Saturday.
Police alleged that the man, nicknamed “Camel” in the drug ring, had with him eight bags packed with dried marijuana, weighing about 21kg.
Police estimate the street value of the haul at around K50,000.
Drug Squad officers told The National that acting on a tip-off, they waited around 11:00am at the airport and arrested him.
The man tried to conceal the bags of marijuana by packing them in a large plastic rainbow bag with other leafy greens (kumu). He told police that his cargo was ‘kumu’ he was bringing into Port Moresby.
Drug Squad officer Paschal Gabe said they had been trying for “quite a while” to bust this drug racket that they believe was supplying about one quarter of the dangerous drug to mainly school kids in the Nation’s Capital.
He said through their intelligence work they concluded that the man was the supplier of the dangerous drug in the Tokarara and June Valley communities. But he had successfully been evading police arrest until Saturday.
The Woitapa man is currently behind bars pending court appearance.
Police said because of the large amount of marijuana he had in his possession, bail was not allowed.