PAY K450,000 OR FACE 140 YEARS BEHIND BARS
Post Courier - January 16, 2023
In one of the toughest sentences meted out in a drugs case, five men have been ordered by the Waigani District Court to pay a total of K450,000 in fines or face spending a total of 140 years behind bars.
The Waigani District Court magistrate Billy Pidu issued these orders as per the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment)Act 2021 in the case of Jeffery Ben, 38, Sira Ben both from Ataya village, Bobby Michael, 27 from Yamaso village, and Murphy Tusa, 23 from Onamuga village near Kainantu in Eastern Highlands Province.
The amended law on production of dangerous drugs states that a person if found guilty is punishable by a fine not exceeding K1 million kina or imprisonment or a term not exceeding 40 years or both.
The offence under this subsection is punishable on a summary conviction.
Four of the five were charged with one count each of conveying 25.3 kilograms of marijuana while one was charged with transporting the drugs.
The four men are Jeffery Ben, Sira Ben, Bobby Michael and Murphy Tusa, all from Kainantu district.
Laden with the drugs, they walked from Goroka reaching Anaita village in Gulf near Ipatoka which is about 3 kilometres from Malalaua Station.
The drug mules waited to be transported to Daru in Western Province.
The fifth accomplice who is said to be a policeman has been identified as Chris Kimala Kite.
In a month the five men will know their fate should they not meet the monetary fine handed to them by Waigani magistrate Pidu on Friday January 13.
Magistrate Pidu in his ruling ordered Bobby Michael, Murphy Tusa, Jeffrey Ben and Sira Ben to pay a fine of K100,000 within four weeks or will be sentenced 30 years imprisonment with hard labour.
In relation to policeman Kite, Magistrate Pidu ordered him to pay K50,000 in four weeks or serve 20 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The five men have been remanded in custody at the Bomana prison.
Two police men are being investigated for allegedly assisting the five men.
Police Commissioner David Manning said that the charges and fine was appropriate especially given the recent amendments to the Drug Act.
“Police are now taking a tough stand when arresting and charging drug suspects, Mr Manning said.
“Not only for marijuana but also for other hard drugs.”
“We are facing an unprecedented rise in the conveying and distribution of marijuana to youths which in turn leads to many social issues that can be prevented.”
He said police investigators from the Drugs and Vice Squad are looking into the information and trying to establish further information on the policeman involved in the drug haul.
According to the Drugs and Vice squad the four men had walked several days from Goroka, Eastern Highlands to Gulf Province.
Commissioner Manning said that the intent of the men was to bring the drugs to Western Province by sea.
“They had made arrangements to be moved to Daru, and thus had moved the drugs down to Popo village and waited for the vehicle.”
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