Driver arrested for allegedly transporting bags of betel nuts

The National Main Stories

POLICE from the Ramu Police Station in Madang have arrested a driver who was allegedly transporting 120 bags of betel nuts to Lae in a container that was carrying coal from Madang.
Ramu station commander Insp Edward Alphonse said the driver was detained and would be charged under the state of emergency (SOE) orders.
He said he would be investigated and others who had helped him to carry the bags would also be arrested.
Insp Alphonse said at around 11am yesterday the vehicle was stopped by police along the highway and police saw a seal on the container which looked suspicious.
“When policemen asked the man to provide documents of what was inside the container he produced a fake receipt stat from RD Tuna Canners Ltd but later admitted that he was transporting 120 bags of betel nuts in the container.”
Insp Alphonse said SOE operations were continuing and they would arrest people smuggling betel nuts.
He told people to be careful with what they were loading.

 

11 comments

  • Interesting, other provinces are strictly enforcing some of SOE directives like buai ban but not in Port Moresby. Can the SOE controller clarify whether buai ban Port Moresby is relaxed?

  • Hanuabada village, a village seems fit in all illegal stuff like home brew (fire wara), drug and now the betel nut. this village is right beside Police Head Quarters.

    How on earth is this village legalizing these items, while police are very strict on other areas/places for trading these items?

    Someone has to explain on this matter.

  • People are openly selling betel nut in Port Moresby. Where is the SoE controller and his buai-ban team or the NCDC governor and his buai team? Seems that all this buai ban thing does not apply to this city.

    Any explanation on this?

  • Band buai completely until end of 2020 when coronavirus is gone out of the world.. Buai is not cash crop. Bua chewers brings bad image to the tourists, on TV with dirty mouth and lot of rubbish is produced in offices, cities, towns, vehicles, foot paths everywhere. People should concentrate on Agriculture on rice, fish, coffee farming and live stocks. Buai makes people lazy.

  • I’m a non betel nut chewer but I think buai ban should be uplifted. Allow tougher control measures only as it is a main cash crop in the informal sector. Ensure helfy spot fines on littering/spitting.

  • Are those buai bags coming from Wuhan? Normalcy has been practiced everywhere unlike those critical stages when Covid-19 was first reported.
    People on the other hand need to carry on with their normal living sustained by cash daily. Those buai bags have nothing to do with the deadly virus from China.

  • About 75% of our population they are basically on informal sectors-like buai trading , How can a government for people punish his own people whom a are struggling to meet their daily needs. some of us have came to school in which our parent pay our fees through buai selling business. Can the government proof medically and scientifically how corona virus is revealed to chewing of betel nut.

  • Where are those Betal nuts bags going to go from there? You police officers are rotten yourselves in the force doing completely opposite things, confiscating Buai bags in the sun and doing back door sells of those bags in the night. Insp – hope your boys are monitored and disposed those buai bags in the right place.

    Or else, uplift the Buai ban and impose taught penalties for littering to where it dues.

  • The govt is yet to realise the full potential of betel nut as a cash crop. It has the potential to improve the livelihood of people if managed right. We cant continue to ignore the fact that it is one of the largest cash crops consumed domestically.

Comments are closed.