{"version":1,"id":"ki","name":"Kiribati","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/country/ki/","count":9,"totals":{"reports":9,"arrested":0,"plants_destroyed":0,"hectares":0,"kg_seized":0,"deaths":0},"by_type":{"eradication":0,"seizure":4,"raid":0,"arrest":0,"prosecution":0,"sentence":5,"execution":0,"death":0},"latest":"2025-12-23","reports":[{"id":"kiribati-two-plant-suspended-sentence-2025","code":"CET-T58V33","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-two-plant-suspended-sentence-2025/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/T58V33/","date":"2025-12-23","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"sentence","also":[],"title":"Kiribati suspends a prison sentence for two cannabis plants","summary":"Tom Utimawa pleaded guilty to cultivating Indian hemp after police found two plants in his backyard and dried leaves in his sleeping hut. The High Court sentenced him on 23 December 2025 to 18 months in prison suspended for two years and a A$600 fine. The primary judgment was blocked; the details come from a case summary.","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":[],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-two-plant-suspended-sentence-2025","sources":[{"title":"Kiribati: man gets 18 months, suspended, and a $600 fine for two cannabis plants (15 October 2026)","url":"https://www.forgottenprisoner.org/news/kiribati-man-gets-suspended-18-months-for-two-cannabis-plants","publisher":"Forgotten Prisoner","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"High Court of Kiribati, 2025/79 (Criminal Case 00313 of 2025)","url":"https://rms.paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2025/79.html","publisher":"PacLII","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"kiribati-takoronga-cannabis-raid-2025","code":"CET-RM805Q","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-takoronga-cannabis-raid-2025/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/RM805Q/","date":"2025-05-19","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"seizure","also":[],"title":"Kiribati police find a second cannabis plantation in Tarawa","summary":"Police found a cannabis plantation about two metres high near the clinic at Takoronga, Tarawa, arrested and cautioned a suspect, and described it as the second drug bust of 2025. The first was at Abatao on 28 April.","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":[],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-takoronga-cannabis-raid-2025","sources":[{"title":"Takoronga cannabis raid (29 May 2025)","url":"https://www.facebook.com/kiribatipolice/posts/1174974514657151/","publisher":"Kiribati Police Service","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"kiribati-abatao-cannabis-raid-2025","code":"CET-P5FBNE","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-abatao-cannabis-raid-2025/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/P5FBNE/","date":"2025-04-28","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"seizure","also":[],"title":"Kiribati police find a two-metre cannabis plant at Abatao","summary":"Police found a cannabis plant almost two metres high at Abatao, Tarawa, arrested a suspect and asked the public for information. It was the first cannabis raid reported in 2025.","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":[],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-abatao-cannabis-raid-2025","sources":[{"title":"Abatao cannabis raid (28 April 2025)","url":"https://www.facebook.com/kiribatipolice/posts/1151493030338633/","publisher":"Kiribati Police Service","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"kiribati-one-cannabis-plant-fine-2021","code":"CET-8Y67CZ","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-one-cannabis-plant-fine-2021/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/8Y67CZ/","date":"2021-11-25","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"sentence","also":[],"title":"Kiribati fines a man A$250 for keeping one cannabis plant","summary":"A man who kept a small cannabis plant belonging to his late half-brother received a A$250 fine after pleading guilty to possession. Chief Justice William Hastings found no evidence of use or dealing and treated the case as less serious than the earlier fisheries officer’s cannabis offence.[@1] Failure to pay by the end of December would bring one month in prison.[@1]","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":["court","sentencing","home-growing"],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-one-cannabis-plant-fine-2021","sources":[{"title":"Republic v Folik, sentence of 25 November 2021 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241215113624id_/https://paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2021/12.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"Republic v Kourabi, sentence of 22 May 2018 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241223011331id_/http://www.paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2018/20.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Revised Edition 1977","url":"https://kiribati.tradeportal.org/media/Dangerous%20Drugs%20Ordinance,%201948.pdf","publisher":"Kiribati Government Trade Portal","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"kiribati-line-islands-cocaine-cannabis-2019","code":"CET-DREA52","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-line-islands-cocaine-cannabis-2019/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/DREA52/","date":"2019-12-20","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"seizure","also":[],"title":"Cocaine and cannabis packages found in the Line Islands","summary":"Police reported a 1.5 kg cocaine package and more than 3 kg of marijuana found in the Line Islands and taken to Betio headquarters. Police said illicit drugs were already in the country and warned that young people were probably using them; no arrest or outcome was reported.","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":[],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-line-islands-cocaine-cannabis-2019","sources":[{"title":"Kiribati police find cocaine and marijuana packages in the Line Islands (31 December 2019)","url":"https://islandtimes.org/kiribati-police-find-cocaine-and-marijuana-packages-in-the-line-islands/","publisher":"Island Times","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"solomon-islands-kiribati-cannabis-export-2019","code":"CET-MVZ3CP","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/solomon-islands-kiribati-cannabis-export-2019/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/MVZ3CP/","date":"2019-06-19","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"seizure","also":[],"title":"Solomon Islands police intercept a cannabis parcel bound for Kiribati","summary":"Aviation security detected a suspicious box on a Solomon Airlines flight to Kiribati and police found cannabis. Two people, including an airline employee, were charged with attempted export and appeared in the Honiara Magistrates' Court in late July 2019. The amount was not stated.","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":[],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"solomon-islands-kiribati-cannabis-export-2019","sources":[{"title":"Two charged for attempted marijuana export to Kiribati (26 July 2019)","url":"https://www.solomonstarnews.com/two-charged-for-attempted-marijuana-export-to-kiribati/","publisher":"Solomon Star","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"kiribati-cannabis-knowledge-conviction-2018","code":"CET-3EPSZ7","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-cannabis-knowledge-conviction-2018/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/3EPSZ7/","date":"2018-05-22","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"sentence","also":[],"title":"Kiribati fines a fisheries officer who kept and used cannabis","summary":"Fisheries officer Tebaatei Kourabi received a fine after being convicted of keeping cannabis he had found and used for about a month.","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":["court","sentencing"],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-cannabis-knowledge-conviction-2018","sources":[{"title":"Republic v Kourabi, conviction of 21 May 2018 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241215114306id_/https://paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2018/18.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"Republic v Kourabi, sentence of 22 May 2018 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241223011331id_/http://www.paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2018/20.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"kiribati-prescription-marijuana-sailor-2016","code":"CET-WCBQWT","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-prescription-marijuana-sailor-2016/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/WCBQWT/","date":"2016-06-07","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"sentence","also":[],"title":"Kiribati fines a sailor whose prescribed marijuana was a prohibited import","summary":"Portuguese sailor Joao Afonso was fined A$1,600 on a marijuana charge after the court accepted that it was part of his prescribed treatment but held it was a prohibited import in Kiribati.","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":["court","patients","trade","visitors"],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-prescription-marijuana-sailor-2016","sources":[{"title":"Republic v Afonso, sentence of 7 June 2016 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241223004005id_/http://www.paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2016/6.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Revised Edition 1977","url":"https://kiribati.tradeportal.org/media/Dangerous%20Drugs%20Ordinance,%201948.pdf","publisher":"Kiribati Government Trade Portal","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"Dangerous Drugs Regulations, commenced 21 February 1980","url":"https://kiribati.tradeportal.org/media/Dangerous%20Drugs%20Regulation.pdf","publisher":"Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"Republic v Morlier, sentence of 23 October 2015 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241215114725id_/https://paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2015/82.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"Republic v Kourabi, conviction of 21 May 2018 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241215114306id_/https://paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2018/18.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"French drifter jailed in Kiribati, 4 November 2015","url":"https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/288892/french-drifter-jailed-in-kiribati","publisher":"RNZ","date":null,"archived":null}]},{"id":"kiribati-yacht-cannabis-sentence-2015","code":"CET-Z1TB8W","url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/report/kiribati-yacht-cannabis-sentence-2015/","short_url":"https://tracker.cannabisfreedom.fyi/r/Z1TB8W/","date":"2015-10-23","country":"ki","country_name":"Kiribati","place":null,"coordinates":[0.893,-167.922],"precision":"country","type":"sentence","also":[],"title":"Kiribati jails a sailor and confiscates his yacht in a cannabis case","summary":"Lyderic Morlier received nine months in prison and total fines of A$4,400 after admitting drug cultivation, prohibited import and immigration offences. The prison terms ran together, with credit for time already spent in custody.[@1,2] The court also confiscated his yacht, two engines, vessel-monitoring equipment and radios under the drug law.[@1]","status":"verified","figures":{},"tags":["court","sentencing","trade","home-growing","visitors"],"cover":null,"media":[],"cfi_id":"kiribati-yacht-cannabis-sentence-2015","sources":[{"title":"Republic v Morlier, sentence of 23 October 2015 (archived PacLII copy)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241215114725id_/https://paclii.org/ki/cases/KIHC/2015/82.html","publisher":"High Court of Kiribati","date":null,"archived":null},{"title":"French drifter jailed in Kiribati, 4 November 2015","url":"https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/288892/french-drifter-jailed-in-kiribati","publisher":"RNZ","date":null,"archived":null}]}]}