Marijuana rolls cost man K600 in court

National

By JAMES GUMUNO
MOUNT Hagen District Court has ordered a man convicted of being in possession of 30 rolls of marijuana to pay a fine of K500.
The court also found Samuel Koim, of Ramba Road outside Mt Hagen, guilty of assaulting a woman by the name of Sherrly Jeff and ordered him to pay her K100 in compensation.
Magistrate Jacinta Doa issued the orders yesterday.
Doa told the defendant, a father of one who is still in police custody, that if he failed to comply with the court orders within one week, he would serve two months for assault and one year for possession of marijuana.
Police said Koim attacked Jeff at the roundabout of the Mt Hagen Police Station on Saturday morning.
Police said Koim punched Jeff three times and was seen by police on patrol.
Police said the defendant saw police and was running towards Niugini Club when he was caught.
Thirty rolls of marijuana were found in his pockets.
Koim was taken to the police station and charged.
Doa said that anyone carrying seven rolls of marijuana or more faced 12 months in jail.
She told Koim that with 30 rolls of marijuana he was facing a year in jail.
Doa said marijuana destroyed the lives of many young people, and the only way to discourage people from cultivating, selling, and smoking it was to apply tough penalties.
She told him that he was only being fined because he was a first offender and unemployed.