Groote Eylandt Police have charged a 19-year-old man with drug offences following his arrest at Umbakumba Airport yesterday afternoon.
At around 2:00 pm three men and a woman departed Numbulwar on a charter plane bound for Umbakumba. They arrived at the airport where they were greeted by police, Northern Territory Police say.
Drug detector dog Bear was deployed to search the passengers, their eight bags, and the aircraft. Bear provided a drug positive response for one of the males, one bag, and the aircraft interior.
A subsequent search resulted in seizure of:
- 109 deal bags of Cannabis inside one bag
- 1 deal bag secreted into the aircraft floor
It is estimated that these the drugs would have yielded $15,000 in the community.
The 19-year-old man ran from the area once the cannabis was located. He was pursued by police and arrested on the dirt air-strip.
He was charged with:
- Possess Trafficable Quantity Cannabis
- Supply Dangerous Drug in Community
- Resist Police
He was refused bail and remanded in custody. The man is due to appear in Darwin Local Court on 5 September.
A second man, aged 19, was issued with a drug infringement notice and a notice to appear in court.
Anyone with information on the supply of drugs is asked to contact police on 131444 or Crime Stoppers.
