Court to decide penalty for drug trafficker

A DISTRICT Court is expected to hand down its decision on penalty today for a 27-year-old man charged with trafficking of 2.5kg of marijuana from Gulf to Port Moresby in February.
Joel Koepai, from Waria in Morobe, will know his fate tomorrow after being arrested and charged last Tuesday (Dec 5).
Magistrate Samson Tatakali said he had considered submissions from both the defence and prosecution and would decide on the penalty today.
Police prosecutor Constable Azariah Tau submitted that a fine of K26,000 or a jail term of up to 16 years imprisonment were the prescribed penalties for such an offence.
It was alleged that on Feb 1 at around 9am, police officers from Crimes Division- National Drugs and Vice Squad received a phone call from an informant regarding the movement of cannabis by several individuals.
The source stated that the marijuana would be smuggled by some men from the headwaters of the Lakekamu River at Opoi Bridge and onto to Kerema in Gulf.
The suspects then got on a public motor vehicle (PMV) truck heading to Port Moresby.
Police headed to Opoi Bridge to verify the information .
On their way to the location, police officers sighted the PMV near Inauabui village in Kairuku, Central, and followed it and stopped it at Aropokina Junction in Central.
A search of the passenger cargo was conducted and police discovered rolls of marijuana packed in a bag belonging to Koepai.
Koepai was taken to Badili Police Station in the National Capital District, but later detained at Waigani Police Station.
The bag contained 745 packs. Each pack would be sold for K5. The total value of the bust was K3,725.
Koepai was arrested and charged with one count of trafficking a controlled substance under Section 68 (1) (b) of the Controlled Substance Act 2021.