NGI top cops back call for tougher penalties for drug-related offences

By JUNIOR UKAHA
TWO provincial police commanders in the New Guinea Islands have backed calls for tougher penalties for drug-related offences.
East New Britain and New Ireland commanders yesterday said an effective deterrent for drug-related offences was the imposition of tougher penalties on offenders.
“The Dangerous Drugs Act needs to be reviewed and the penalties made tougher,” ENB police commander Senior Inspector Joseph Tabali said.
“The current penalties are too lenient.
“If we give stronger penalties, people will be afraid of consuming, cultivating, producing and transporting dangerous drugs.”
Tabali said in ENB, people were already growing marijuana in certain locations and police were having a difficult time trying to locate and destroy the gardens.
New Ireland commander Supt Gideon Ikumu said two years maximum for drug-related offences was not good enough.
“I think the penalties for drug-related offences should be 10 years and above,” he said.
“Even the fines should exceed K20,000 because the street value of drugs is high.”
Ikumu said it was time the Dangerous Drugs Act was reviewed to introduce and impose tough penalties.
He said the recent discovery of cocaine on Budibudi Island in Milne Bay by fishermen and the arresting of expatriate offenders showed that transnational criminals and drug smugglers were operating in the country.
He said cocaine and methamphetamine producers may already have secret laboratories or facilities in parts of the country and producing drugs for the domestic and international markets.
Ikumu said transnational criminals were taking advantage of Papua New Guinea’s outdated laws and lax security systems to conduct their illegal businesses.
There were calls for harsher penalties by police last week when the Budibudi offenders were given 18 months jail each.
Chief Inspector Joel Kapinias, officer in-charge of the National Drug and Vice-Squad office said the current act was not discouraging offenders.