A senior National Court judge in Papua New Guinea has dismissed an expatriate prisoner’s request to have his sentence suspended due to poor health.

The state prosecutions objected to the request saying he was a main actor in the crime and deserved the highest penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.

Justice Mogish then said: “It could be seen as a double standard.”

Melyne Baroi is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The revelation that police have carried out what is believed to be one of Fiji’s biggest drug busts after a surprise raid in Nadi at the weekend is a wake-up call for us all.

Acting Police Commissioner Juki Fong Chew yesterday confirmed the raid and that substantial amounts of white drugs were seized.

The tip off, he said, came from Nausori, subsequently allowing officers to conduct a raid at a warehouse in the West. It is arguably one of the biggest haul in Fiji. As investigations continue, one thing is certain.

This is a national issue, and it is big. It’s a chilling wake-up call, exposing something we have been seeing glimpses of over the years. It is difficult to shrug aside the fact that the drug trade is a major challenge for us as a nation.

We have been talking about the consequences, which are far reaching, and threatening the very fabric of life as we know it.

Addiction is a major challenge we face as well and given the fact that we do not have well equipped rehabilitation centres, we are staring at a blankwall, and that places us in a rather frightening situation.

The impact of drug addiction on the family structure, on society and our country are not good at all.

The minds of tourists
The last thing we want is for our country to lose its shine on the minds of tourists because of a drug challenge. We look up to the powers that be to put in place measures that will assist in the fight against drugs, and addiction.

That is why we have been pushing for rehabilitation centres and for people to be trained to work in these facilities. In saying that, we are encouraged by this latest revelation.

There is a glimmer of hope when such events happen because they take a swipe at the illicit trade. While it is a testament to the efforts and the vigilance of the police, we are still reminded about the fact that we have a problem!

In this instance, awareness is key. Educational campaigns targeted at youth, families, and communities must dispel the myths and expose the brutal reality of drugs.

We also need to be talking, and assisting Fijians make informed choices.

We need those rehabilitation centres set up urgently, and equipped by trained professional staff.

Then there are the social challenges that range from poverty, and unemployment to consider.

This is not just a matter for the police to deal with. It’s a fight we all must participate in. It is for our future!

This editorial was published in The Fiji Times today under the title of “Drug challenge”.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Three crew members of an unnamed foreign ship intercepted by a Papua New Guinea Navy vessel near Kavieng, New Ireland, last month have denied violating local laws and withholding information from authorities.

In the Kavieng District Court before Magistrate Patrick Baiwan on Wednesday were ship’s captain Shi Kehu from Fujian province in China, second-in-command Ying Kit Lam from Hong Kong, and crew member Mariglen Dhimogjini from Albania.

They will return to court next Tuesday and have been ordered to stay on board the vessel berthed at the Kavieng port, under a 24/7 police guard.

The unnamed vessel which police believe is linked to a K1.47 billion (NZ$642 million) drug bust recently in Australian waters, was intercepted in waters north of Kavieng on August 23 by the crew of the HMPNGS Moresby.

Shots were fired at the crew when they refused to stop.

The captain was later treated in hospital for a gunshot wound.

National Fisheries Authority (NFA) executive manager monitoring control and surveillance Giza Komangin told The National the three had violated provisions of the Fisheries Management Act 1998.

Captain charged
Captain Shi was charged with:

• REFUSING to divulge names and contacts of persons and vessels that the vessel was conducting bunkering activities at sea;
• REFUSING to stop the vessel for boarding and inspection by fisheries and navy officials when instructed to;
• DESTROYING and deleting electronic data and tracks to avoid seizure or detection by fisheries officers;
• FAILING to comply with requirements of gear stowage when navigating inside PNG waters; and,
• VIOLATING other state laws to supply fishing vessels with fuel and other supplies an activity requiring a valid fishing licence.

Yong was charged with knowingly giving information that is false and misleading about the operation of the vessel and refusing to divulge names of contacts of person to investigation officials.

Dhimogjini was charged with refusing to divulge names and contacts of persons and vessels engaged in its operation inside Pacific Island waters.

Vessel named Min Shi Yu
NFA officials during their investigations discovered that the vessel’s name was Min Shi Yu 00368 engaged in fishing activities, and supplying fuel and food to other fishing vessels at sea.

On May 1, 2020, it left Quanzhou in China with a crew of seven and picked up Kit Lam and Mariglen Dhimogjini in Hong Kong.

The vessel had no markings to show its name, flag or country of registry, or international radio call sign to show that it was legitimately navigating through PNG waters.

Only three of the nine crew members have passports, five have identification cards, and one has no identification at all and no logbooks or records were available.

Miriam Zarriga is a reporter for The National newspaper in Papua New Guinea. The Pacific Media Centre republishes National articles with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Papua New Guinean and Australian police have linked the “black ship” intercepted by the PNG Navy north of Kavieng, New Ireland, last Saturday to a drug haul valued at K1.47 billion (NZ$626 million) in Australian waters, a senior officer said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations Donald Yamasombi told The National that the Australian police and border authorities and the PNG police believe it was the vessel which took bags of cocaine and offloaded them to a commercial fishing vessel, Coralynne, near Lord Howe Island in Australia.

“The boat is alleged to be the boat that took the cocaine and transferred it to an Australian commercial fishing vessel,” he said.

READ MORE: Drama at sea – PNG Navy detains alleged pirates

Yamasombi said they were trying to piece together all the information and collate evidence – which they find very little of on board the vessel now anchored at Kavieng port.

“It is a black ship. It does not have a name and has no markings,” he said.

An Australian newspaper report said the boat was detected near Noumea a few days ago.

It was making its way through PNG waters when the HMPNGS Moresby, which was near Kavieng at the time, was alerted.

‘Morgado Square’
Captain Nathan Tombe and his men intercepted the foreign vessel in a fisheries protection  zone called the “Morgado Square”, north of Kavieng.

“We warned the crew of the ship by bullhorn to stop for inspection,” he said.

“However, the warning was ignored, as were warning shots fired over the bow of the ship.

“As a result, the HMPNGS Moresby drew alongside the vessel and fired wounding one crew member. The ship pulled up and was ordered to accompany us to Kavieng.”

Kavieng Hospital confirmed that the wounded crew member, reported to be the captain, was recovering after an operation.

Yamasombi said if the ship had a name, it would be easy to find out where it came from.

Police are hoping that Australia can provide some information “so we would be able to know the details of the boat”.

Tracking the ship’s route
“As it is, we are working with the National Maritime Safety Authority to track the ship, looking at the route it travelled.

“If the transponder had been switched on, it would be easy to track it,” he said.

The nine crew members are likely to face charges under the Migration Act and Fisheries Act, he said.

“The crew members are under investigation because it is alleged to be a fishing boat.

“We will let Fisheries do their side of investigation and then we see what possible charges we can lay on them,” he said.

“illegal entry” was the appropriate charge under the Migration Act.

The National newspaper articles are republished by the Pacific Media Centre with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk

Papuan New Guinea’s massive drug haul of more than 600kg of cocaine, seized after a mysterious plane crash by the alleged smugglers more than a week ago, has shaken authorities in both Australia and PNG.

The haul has been estimated at worth up to K200 million (A$80 million) at street value.

The collaborative operation has resulted in the arrests of at least six Australians – one in PNG – and four Papua New Guineans with investigations ongoing. Here are two reports fron the PNG daily newspapers:

READ MORE: Background to the massive PNG drug heist

By Marjorie Finkeo in Port Moresby
Four men allegedly involved in the attempted export of 28 bags of cocaine to Australia have been arrested at two locations in Port Moresby.

Two were arrested at Manu Autoport with A$40,000 (K100,000) cash and electrical items in their possession while the other two were apprehended at Sunset Lodge outside the city.

Police Commissioner David Manning said at a press conference yesterday the suspects were all PNG nationals.

A search conducted at Sanctuary Hotel at Waigani came up empty, Manning said.

He said a joint investigation was continuing and more charges were likely to be laid against the Australian pilot David Paul Cutmore who was charged under Immigration Act 1978 for illegally entering PNG and fined K3000 last Friday.

He said the investigation team was also looking at additional charges against Cutmore under the National Pandemic Act 2020. – PNG Post-Courier

Pacific Media Centre’s Southern Cross radio comment on the investigation yesterday.

By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby

The country’s biggest drug bust, involving more than 600kg of cocaine estimated to cost around K160 million, has been hailed as “great detective work” and the result of a two-year investigation by Australian and PNG police.

A team of police and Customs officers led by Deputy Police Commissioner Operations Donald Yamasombi found 28 black duffle bags containing “high-grade” cocaine wrapped in plastic, some Australian dollars and a flat-screen television near Papa-Lealea village, 30km outside Port Moresby last Friday.

It was near the makeshift airstrip where a Cessna 402C aircraft, which entered the country from Australia without clearance last Sunday, crashed when it tried to take off with its illegal cargo.

Police Commissioner David Manning said police knew “at the time it was a substantial amount of cocaine”.

“(There was an) organised gang involved in this and from what we knew, they were planning to have it removed from PNG via a black flight, a flight that was registered to fly into PNG airspace,” Manning said.

“We now know that the flight landed successfully (but) could not take off due to some mechanical fault.

‘Flight failed to take off’
“What ensued is the result of that flight (failing) to take off.

“The bags were left in an undisclosed location within the village.”

Australian Federal Police senior liaison officer Detective Superintendent Julian Bianco said what was achieved by both police forces was an “excellent result for law enforcement in the Pacific”.

“The seizure brings to a conclusion the long-time operation that has been overseen by the Royal PNG Constabulary and the AFP and Australian law enforcement,” Bianco said.

“Without the assistance of the PNG police and the great detective work, we certainly would not be standing here with this (illegal drugs).

“The aircraft travelled to PNG to collect drugs to take back to Australia.

“We are thankful to the PNG constabulary for stopping it from entering our shores.”

According to pictures obtained by The National, inside each of the black duffle bag was 1kg of cocaine wrapped and labelled 777.

Manning said the drug bust was the largest in the country’s history and the culmination of a two-year operation, and the result of “good detective work” by the Papua New Guinea and Australian police. – The National

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A combined investigation team seized more than K200 million ($80 million) worth of cocaine in the biggest drug heist in the history of Papua New Guinea last night, reports the PNG Post-Courier.

The 750 kg drug was connected to the mysterious plane crash last Sunday near the PNG LNG plant west of Port Moresby.

The Australian pilot who flew the light plane and turned himself in appeared in court yesterday and admitted to having flown the plane illegally into PNG from Mareebe in Far North Queensland, Australia.

READ MORE: Mystery over PNG plane crash

He was fined K3000 and ordered out of PNG.

Police, Customs and National Intelligence officers, with assistance from the Australian Federal Police, have successfully confiscated what Pandemic Controller and Police Commissioner David Manning described as the “biggest drug heist” in years.

Among the 28 bags containing 24 kg of cocaine was a 140 cm TV set meant as a gift to those who would have successfully loaded the drugs onto the plane.

The accused pilot, David John Cutmore, 52, from Williams Landing, Melbourne Australia, admitted and pleaded guilty to one charge of unlawful entry in breach of immigration laws.

The maximum penalty for the charge of illegal entry is K5000 fine or six months imprisonment.

Maximum sentence sought
Police prosecution during submission on sentence asked the court to impose the maximum penalty of K5000 fine since the offence of illegal entry was serious.

The court was told that the accused did not have any passport or visa and flew an aircraft into the country illegally.

Although the court was told of illegal dealings, including drug trade, no evidence was provided to the court.

The court, presided by Magistrate Tracey Ganai, ordered a K3000 fine considering that the police prosecutors did not provide any evidence or exhibits of illegal items allegedly in the procession of the accused pilot.

The court also noted there was no evidence presented on whether police were pursuing additional charges.

The only charge was illegal entry in breach of immigration laws.

Magistrate Ganai ruled that the accused pilot pay a fine of K3000 and be deported immediately.

Failure to pay fine would result in a prison term of 4 months and deportation after completion of the prison term.

Now that evidence has surfaced, additional charges could be laid.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz