Court jails man for possessing drugs

 A MAN from Enga has been jailed for eight months by the Mt Hagen district court, in Western Highlands, for being in possession of marijuana.

Miok Komio from Asipak village in Laiagam appeared before Magistrate Lorna Sani. 

Komio was arrested by Mt Hagen police on foot patrol at around 11pm on Monday. Sani told Komio that the maximum penalty for people found to be in possession of marijuana was two years.

She took into account Komio’s guilty plea and jailed him for eight months.

Komio told the court that he was in Mt Hagen for a week and was trying to return home when police caught him.

“I admitted that I was wrong in selling marijuana and will not repeat the mistake,” he said.

But Sani said the law no longer allowed bail or fine for anyone caught in possession of the dangerous drugs. She told Komio that he had been destroying many lives by selling marijuana.

“Jail is where you are going to learn your lesson, change your mindset,” she said.

Sani said marijuana destroyed lives and anyone involved in it would be dealt with accordingly.