Police in Kerema intercepted four suspects on the Murua River and recovered eleven bags holding 84.5 kilograms of marijuana, then the biggest haul on record, while nine others escaped into the bush. The drug had been smuggled from Goroka and was suspected to be bound overseas or traded for guns.
🇵🇬 Murua River near Lorope, Kerema, Gulf Province · Papua New Guinea
Police in Kerema intercepted four suspects paddling a dugout canoe on the Murua River after villagers grew suspicious, and the men led officers to a campsite at Lorope holding eleven bags with 84.5 kilograms of marijuana.[1]It was the biggest marijuana haul recorded in the country at the time, and the National Drug and Vice Squad would give no street value for fear of encouraging more smuggling.[1][2]
The four were part of a group of 13 that had smuggled the drug from Goroka in the Eastern Highlands via Morobe; the other nine fled into the bush as Kerema police approached the campsite.[1]The four were taken to Kerema police station and charged, then held at the Boroko police cells to face the Boroko District Court in Port Moresby.[1]Officers believed the packs were bound for the overseas market or for gun trading, and found phone messages they linked to bigger operators.[1]
Case data
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