Drug smuggling decreases

THE smuggling of marijuana into Port Moresby from outside provinces has decreased, compared to past years, National Drug and Vice Squad’s Sergeant Thomas Moiyang says.
Moiyang told The National that the last major drug case they had handled, with the help of the Dog Unit, was in January at the 9-Mile roundabout outside Port Moresby.
“Compared to previous years, there were major cases of marijuana being smuggled into the city from the Magi and Hiritano highways but this has gone down,” he said.
Moiyang said over the past months, there had been only minor cases reported, however, he admitted there could be other drug cases being reported at other police stations in the National Capital District.
“It is the police station commander’s job to report to the Drug Squad Office so that we know about the transport, consumption and the production of illicit drugs in the city,” he said.
Moiyang said his office needed police stations to keep up-to-date records and inform vice squad on the sale, distribution and movement of drugs in NCD.
He said police operations (road blocks/vehicle checks) had not been deployed to the two major highways into Port Moresby because of other commitments.
Moiyang said the final court hearing of the three suspects charged with being in possession of 10 bags of marijuana worth K100,000 ,confiscated at 9-Mile in January, will be this month.