24 accused in Vava'u cocaine cases, pending court appearances [1]
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 - 18:44
Cocaine package washed up in Vava'u. Photo: Tonga Police
The 24 people who were arrested in July and August and charged over the seizure of an alleged 14 kilograms of cocaine in Vava‘u are pending their court appearances. No new arrests have been made.
Of these accused, 19 are in Vava'u and five in Tongatapu. The last arrests were made in August.
Tonga Police said today, most of the accused had been released on bail on conditions, pending their court appearances over the coming weeks.
The Magistrate's Court office in Neiafu said that 17 of the case will be submitted to the Supreme Court for trial. Only two of the Vava'u cases are expected to be heard at the Magistrate's Court.
The accused face charges including possession of illicit drugs, engaging with others in the supply of illicit drugs and intentionally lying to Police.
In July, the first cocaine packets that washed up on Vava’u beaches were handed over to police, prompting a big search operation with more of the illicit drug seized.
The cocaine has an estimated street value of over $5 million pa’anga.
From the Courts [7]