Three men plead guilty to taking drug in public

THREE men have pleaded guilty in the Mt Hagen district court to smoking marijuana in public on April 4.
Vandame Pang, 30, Billy David, 26, and Nelson Max, 24, all from Baiyer in the Baiyer/Lumusa district, were arrested by police for smoking marijuana on a roadside.
In mitigating, David said: “I am very sorry. Please have mercy. I am a first time offender, I will not do it agains.”
Max also made the same plea as David but Pang chose to remain silent.
Prosecutor Sam Nili told the court yesterday that the three young men were caught smoking marijuana at the KLK road junction in Baiyer by policemen who were passing by in a vehicle. The policemen could smell the smoke from marijuana.
“The policemen stopped and got out of their vehicle and found 50g of marijuana in a pouch,” he said.
Magistrate Donald Joseph said that those found guilty of selling, smoking, cultivating or in possession of dangerous marijuana drug were liable to a sentence of not less than two years imprisonment.
He ordered all three to remain in police custody and postponed sentencing to April 15.
He said smoking marijuana in public places and along roadsides was against the law.