Tonga court convicts man, 48, over 1kg of cannabis seeds found in Fo'ui
Tonga's Supreme Court convicted Uasi Musika, 48, on two counts of possessing cannabis seeds and plant material that police seized at a property in Fo'ui in 2017. Justice Cato delivered the verdicts on 28 September 2018.
Uasi Musika, 48, was convicted on two counts of possession of cannabis seeds and
plant material.[1]Tonga Police seized the cannabis seeds and plant material
at a property in Fo’ui on Tongatapu the previous year.[1]The news headline
put the quantity at over one kilogram of cannabis seeds.[1]
The Supreme Court heard the case as Rex v Uasi Musika, criminal case CR 137/17,
before Justice Cato, who delivered verdicts and reasons on 28 September 2018.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
The full Matangi Tonga article and the Supreme Court decision PDF are behind subscription and download bars; the court's index says he was discharged on two counts of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, but the wording could not be checked against the judgment itself.
No sentence is stated: whether Musika was jailed, fined or given a suspended term is not recorded in the opened sources.
The court index gives no weight; the 'over 1kg' figure comes only from the news headline and may refer to the seeds alone.
The sources say the seizure was 'last year' without a date; the judgement details the verdict of 28 September 2018, which is used as the date of this court step.
It is not established whether this seizure was part of the May 2017 police raids on plantations at Matahau and Fou'i.
The number of seeds, the number of cannabis plants the plant material came from and the area involved are not reported.
Acting Justice Langi sentenced Folauhola Palanite, 40, to 21 months in prison, with the final six months suspended, and gave his wife Mele, 36, a 15-month term fully suspended for two years at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa on 22 October 2026. The couple had admitted possessing 40.07 grams and 3.89 grams of cannabis, along with drug utensils.
Viliami Taulafo, 34, was given a fully suspended 18-month prison term at Tonga's Supreme Court for possessing 200.98 grams of cannabis found at his Talafo'ou home. Police seized the cannabis in a February raid, and the court suspended the custodial term for two years with probation, a drug programme and community service.
Tonga's Supreme Court sentenced Mekiloni Fotu Aso to 18 months in prison, with the final six suspended, after police found 63 cannabis plants and 266 grams of cannabis at his Fua'amotu home in July 2025. He pleaded guilty to cultivation, possession and utensils charges; the court ruled he was a supplier.
Kilisitina Finau, 34, was sentenced to two years in prison in Nuku'alofa on charges including possession of 484.43 grams of cannabis. Her 23-year-old co-offender Lesieli Makasini was found guilty of possessing a smaller amount and received a suspended sentence.