Groote Eylandt Police are searching for a 37-year-old man wanted on drug charges after luggage was screened at Groote Eylandt Airport early yesterday morning.
At around 7am the charter flight from Cairns landed at the airport where passengers were greeted by police, Northern Territory Police say.
Drug detector dogs Bear and Lena were deployed to search the plane, passengers and their bags. As a result of responses from the two dogs, police located:
- 11 litres of unlawfully possessed liquor
- A quantity of cannabis
- Drug implements
- A quantity of unlawfully possessed prescription medication
It is estimated that sale of the cannabis would have yielded $21,000 to $28,000 in the community.
The 37-year-old passenger failed to collect his baggage. He is an arrest target for charges of:
- Supply less than a commercial quantity of a Schedule 2 drug in an Indigenous Community
- Possess Cannabis in a Public Place
- Bring Liquor into an Alcohol Protected Area
The man is described as Indigenous, approximately 168 cm tall with an average build and normally resides in the Umbakumba township. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact police.
A 45-year-old Queensland man was also arrested at the airport and charged for supplying less than a commercial quantity of a Schedule 2 drug in an Indigenous Community and possessing a traffickable amount of cannabis.
Police also spoke to two local women. A 53-year-old woman was cautioned for unlawfully possessing the prescription medication and a 34-year-old was summonsed to appear in court at a later date for bringing liquor into an Alcohol Protected Area.
Anyone with information on the secondary supply of alcohol or the sale of drugs is asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers.
