Man nabbed with drugs taped to back

Story by ZACHERY PER
STRINGENT security checks for drugs at the Goroka Air Niugini terminal, in Eastern Highlands, led to the arrest of a man who had 20g of dried marijuana strapped on his back.
Night Owl Security Services (NOSS) guards operating at the entrance of the check-in and departure lounge caught the 24-year-old of Hila village in Lufa district, Eastern Highlands.
NOSS guard Mathew Maima conducted a body search on the man and found 20g of dried marijuana neatly wrapped in a newspaper and sticky-taped to his back.
Maima said they found 15g of similar substance in the man’s bag when going through normal security checks.
NOSS alerted Goroka police only 200m away and officers arrested the man.
The suspect was remanded at the Goroka police cell and will appear before the Goroka district court soon.
The suspect had been booked to fly to Port Moresby on the 5pm flight from Goroka last Thursday.
He was apprehended at the security check at 3pm.
NOSS managing director Winchlee Oibotee said his guards had caught many people trying to smuggle drugs into Port Moresby.
He said a young mother had put marijuana in her baby’s diaper to take it out of Goroka.
“A man hid the drug in bamboo tubes and presented as cooked greens.
“Another man hid marijuana among cabbages or other vegetables.
“We caught a good number of them attempting to smuggle the drug out of Goroka every week,” Oibotee said.
Eastern Highlands provincial police commander Augustine Wampe commended the efforts of the security guards in combating drug trafficking.