Alleged smugglers ask for leniency

TWO locals who were involved in the cocaine bust worth K200 million of in Port Moresby three years ago asked the court to have mercy on them as they helped the police in the investigation.
Dominic Terupo from Mortlock in Bougainville, Morgan Mogu of Lousom village in Abau, Central said they had surrendered, cooperated well and helped in locating the cocaine.
They said they both had families and had been in custody for than three years and no one was taking care of their families.
They said this at Waigani National Court on Friday when judge Panuel Mogish asked them to address the court on what penalty they should be given.
Trupo and Mogu were charged and convicted under money laundering Act together with D’Attanasio 52 of Pescara, Italy and Shane Dikana of Lealea village in Kairuku, Central.
D’Attanasio also asked for court’s mercy saying that being in custody got him sick.
“This country has made me sick.
“I was okay when I was first arrested and after two months, I started getting sick and my condition had gone worse,” he said.
He added that the hospital that he was getting treatment from had abused him by not giving him the right amount of medicine.
“I have no friends and family here,” D’Attanasio said.
The case was adjourned to next week for Dikana to give his statement as he didn’t have lawyer representing him upon appearance because his lawyer Edward Sasingian had stopped acting for him.
Mogish than ordered a lawyer from the Office of Public Solicitor to represent Dikana on the next mention so that the case would be dealt with quickly.
The matter would return on Tuesday (Feb 20).
The trial in this case was conducted in Kwikila National Court last year in which State tendered in 42 affidavits and documents and all four were convicted of the charge after submissions.
D’Attanasio, Terupo, Mogu and Dikana were the co-accused of the Australian pilot David Cutmore who flew a plane illegally in Port Moresby and attempted to transport 611kg of cocaine.
D’Attanasio, Terupo, Mogu and Dikana between February 2020 and July 26, 2020, concealed criminal property of 611gk of cocaine worth about K200 million knowing that it was a criminal property.
D’Attanasio, smuggled 28 bags of cocaine from Panama in South America into PNG on a yacht.
D’Attanasio, anchored about 41km out at sea from Kupiano Station, met with Mogu and Terupo, who were allegedly there to receive the bags of cocaine.
The 28 bags of cocaine were then offloaded onto a dinghy and taken to Gavuone village, then transported to Port Moresby on two vehicles.
On July 26, 2020, a twin engine plane illegally entered PNG and landed on a makeshift airstrip at Lea Lea village, loaded the 28 bags of cocaine and was about to take off when it crashed.