Results for Illicit Drugs

A 53-year-old man was arrested in his vehicle for selling illicit drugs, in which quantities of methamphetamine and cannabis were seized in a police raid at Popua on 24 November.

Siaosi Brown (22) was sentenced to 18-months imprisonment for possession of 222.69 grams of cannabis seized at a home in Fanga.

A prolific offender, ‘Okusitino Langi (49), who is serving a lengthy prison term for drug offences, received additional time for similar offending in prison, totalling nine-years imprisonment, after being sentenced on 14 October. The Lord Chief Justice said the circumstances of this offending were troubling. “For the defendant to have been able to possess and sell drugs in prison suggests real operational deficiencies in security within the prison.”

Illegal drugs being smuggled into Tonga will be easier to detect with new spectrometer equipment. USD$3 million funding has been committed by Japan for the equipment, to assist the Tonga government's efforts to detect and prevent illicit drugs from entering its borders.

Prisoner Piliote Uasike (26) was sentenced to three-years for possessing of 4.66 grams of methamphetamine, found on him. A repeat drug offender, he is already in prison serving time on other drugs offences.

Kisina Neiufi (28) was sentenced to 21-months imprisonment for possession of 3.11 grams methamphetamine seized by Police, who received information that he was selling from his car in 'Utulau. His half-brother received a suspended sentence for a lesser count. “Given...the terrible harm this drug does and the lives it ruins in Tonga, the need for denunciation and deterrence is paramount,” said the judge.

Sitaleki Tu’itavake (48) was sentenced to four and a half-years imprisonment for possession of 2.87 grams of methamphetamine 
and 3,153.7 grams of cannabis in two separate incidents. The judge declined to suspend any part of the sentence. "All his recent history demonstrates a flagrant disregard for the law and the opportunities afforded to him for rehabilitation. With his escalating drug offending, he is also becoming a risk to himself and the community,” he said.

Bruno Latu (27) was sentenced to 27-months imprisonment for offences that included possession of a pistol without a license and 1.72 grams of methamphetamine.

Petelo Mo’unga (25) was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment for possession of 26.98 grams of cocaine and 0.07 grams of methamphetamine.