PNG drugs suspects remanded
A Lae district court in Papua New Guinea has rejected bail for an expatriate and six Papua New Guineans implicated in the K35 million (US$9.9 million) methamphetamine bust in Lae last Tuesday. All seven, appearing from
Drugs
Eight suspects arrested over PNG meth flight
A Papua New Guinea police officer, a Defence Force soldier from Igam Barracks, and a second Chinese national are among seven more men arrested in Lae over the weekend and are being questioned in relation to the
Five charged over PNG meth flight
Five alleged criminal syndicate members accused of orchestrating a black flight from Papua New Guinea to Australia with 52kg of methamphetamine on board have been charged under an AFP-led investigation. Four of the five
NZ intercepts US$315m worth of cocaine floating in Pacific Ocean
New Zealand authorities have found a record-breaking amount of cocaine floating in Pacific waters, which they say was bound for Australia and would have been enough to supply the country for a year. The 3.2-tonne haul
The next sin: Drug trade on the rise
Between Mexico and Australia is 165 million square kilometers of ocean. In that vast expanse of sea, travelling west and far from the eyes of police, navy and other law enforcement agencies, a precious cargo finds its
Fiji drugs stopped at Sydney border
A Bangladeshi national has been charged with importing a commercial quantity of liquid methamphetamine from Fiji into Australia. Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Border Force arrested the man at Sydney
Australian pilot sentenced to 18 years in PNG
An Australian pilot linked to the biggest drug bust in Papua New Guinea has been convicted and jailed for 18 years. The Waigani National Court on Friday sentenced David John Cutmore, 57, of Williams Landing, Queensland,
Pacific Islands increasingly used as crime transit point, experts say
The Pacific islands are increasingly being used as a transit point for transnational crime, including drug trafficking and money laundering, experts say. Criminal organisations from Asia and the Americas are exploiting
China to build PNG anti-narcotics lab to test drugs
The Chinese government has pledged to build a national anti-narcotics laboratory in the country to boost the capability of the Royal PNG Constabulary amidst growing transnational organised criminal activities in the
Australian pilot pleads guilty in PNG drug bust
Australian pilot David John Cutmore has pleaded guilty to transporting Papua New Guinea’s largest haul of cocaine two years ago. Cutmore took his plea in the PNG National Court at Waigani after Judge Teresa
$50m drug bust, COVID eases in French Polynesia
Police in French Polynesia have seized almost US$50 million worth of methamphetamine (‘ice’) on a cruise ship from the United States. A 27-year-old Tahitian passenger has been arrested after the discovery of
CNMI Customs confiscate $700K ‘ice’ at post office
The Division of Customs and Biosecurity confiscated 4.9 pounds of crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’) with a street value of US$700,000 at the post office in Chalan Kanoa on Saturday, the largest drug haul in
The Pacific Islands become collateral damage on drug superhighway
(THE INTERPRETER) The illicit drugs trade in the Pacific Islands continues to evolve despite Covid-19 border closures. The seizure of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine in Papua New Guinea in 2020 demonstrated that the
ANALYSIS: Challenges for Tonga as election looms
As Tongans lose faith in the major parties, the country’s election will likely see a rise in new independent members of parliament, Kalafi Moala writes. Tonga goes to the polls on 18 November to elect 26 members of
Boosting networks against transnational crime
By Nic Maclellan Last month Tongan police confirmed that more than 14 kilograms of cocaine had washed up on beaches in Vava’u. Police say the drugs have an estimated sale value of over $5 million pa’anga and more
