Groote Eylandt Dog Operations officers, with members of the Drug and Organised Crime Division, Tactical Response Group and local police, have arrested a 17-year-old male after he was allegedly found to be armed with a large hunting knife at the Groote Eylandt Airport.
The officers had attended the Groote Eylandt Airport to screen an incoming scheduled flight at 10:30 am on Friday 21 September 2018, Northern Territory Police say.
Drug Detector Dog Lena was deployed to screen 25 passengers as they exited the aircraft.
A 42-year-old man was allegedly discovered to be concealing a duct taped package in his pants which contained approximately four ounces of cannabis. It is believed that amount would have yielded approximately $16,800 at community prices. His luggage contained two 1.25L soft drink bottles of liquor.
While the man was being searched by police, members of the public reported sighting a 17-year-old male carrying a large hunting knife. The youth then behaved in a disorderly manner in an apparent attempt to distract police from locating the cannabis and liquor on his relative.
The youth was arrested and two knives were seized. He was charged with going armed in public, being armed with an offensive weapon, and disorderly behaviour in a public place. He was bailed to appear in the Alyangula Juvenile Court on the 25th of October 2018.
The 42-year-old man was issued with a notice to appear in the Alyangula Local Court on the 23rd of October 2018 for possessing a schedule 2 drug in a public place, supplying a schedule 2 drug in an Indigenous community, possess schedule 2 dangerous drug traffickable quantity, and bringing liquor into an alcohol protected area.
