Heneli Manuofetoa (40) was sentenced today to another seven months imprisonment for possession of 0.1 gram of methamphetamine. He is currently serving time at Hu’atolitoli Prison for another drug offence.

Hon. Mr Justice Niu sentenced him at the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court, after pleading guilty last month.

The offending was on March 20, 2020 when police received information that he was selling drugs at a residence in Houmakelikao. 

The court heard that the police immediately went there and found the accused inside a hut together with two other persons. The accused was fixing a mobile phone at a table and there was a toolbox beside him on the table. 

They found a pack of methamphetamine on top of the tool box. They also found in the hut a methamphetamine smoking pipe and a cannabis smoking utensil. The methamphetamine was later weighed and it came to 0.01 gram, the judge said.

The accused had previous convictions.

In April this year, he was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for another drug offence, which he is serving before being sentenced on this current offence.

Meanwhile, probation reported that the accused was not a good person in society because of his association with drugs and the people dealing in drugs. 


"I have to uphold the law and to punish you for breaking it so that you willl learn to respect and to uphold it. At the same time, whilst serving your imprisonment sentence as punishment, you will also learn the trade of carpentry and construction, which you are presently doing in prison."

He then sentenced the accused to seven-months imprisonment to be served, after his current eight-months sentence.

The drugs were ordered to be destroyed.