17.5 kilogram of marijuana intercepted

17.5 kilogram of marijuana was intercepted at the Kavieng airport today by Kavieng Police and National Airport Corporation (NAC) officials.

Acting New Ireland Provincial Police Commander, Senior Inspector Gabriel N'Drihin says, the drugs, packed in over 20 small packages in a storage container arrived two days ago.

Police were alerted by NAC officials and both Police and NAC staff were keeping a lookout for the owner of the package until a male suspect from Eastern Highlands Province, turned up the airport today, to pick up the cargo.

N'Drihin says, the suspect was arrested on the spot and brought to the Kavieng police station for questioning, and is now detained at the police cell.

He says, police are now working on tracing the sender of the cargo that came in from Lae.

Meanwhile N'Drihin says, drug trafficking is also on the rise in the Province, with Lavongai LLG in Kavieng district and Matalai LLG in Namatanai disteict, going big on cultivation and production of marijuana.

He says, marijuana is having a drastic effect on people's mental health, especially the male youths in Kavieng town.