Police seize drugs in separate raids

TERRITORY police have continued the fight against drugs reaching remote communities in three separate raids.

Officers raided a home in the northern suburbs last Thursday and found 10.12kg of cannabis packaged in plastic bags hidden around the property. They also found $59,800 in cash hidden under garden mulch and $44,825 in a couch.

Michael Paparella, 37, was arrested at the scene and remanded in custody on charges of possessing a commercial quantity of cannabis and supplying cannabis.

Superintendent Kris Evans from the Drug Enforcement Section said police believed a proportion of the cannabis was destined for remote communities, where the drug fetches prices three times higher than in Darwin.

"A big thing about it is that money which needs to be spent on buying food and necessities goes on the drug," he said.

Police attended the Air Ngukurr terminal in Darwin with a drug detection dog on Saturday and found six plastic bags containing 122g of cannabis hidden as luggage.

A 35-year-old Bathurst Island man has been charged with possessing a trafficable quantity of cannabis.

In a third raid, Nhulunbuy police seized 37 cannabis plants, amphetamines, LSD tablets, unsecured shotgun ammunition, fireworks and a scanner operating on the police channel on Sunday.

Police also found hydroponic cultivation equipment and a disused growing room and arrested a 26-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman on drug cultivation, possession and firearms charges.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Tue, 25 October 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Eric Tlozek
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/