'That could be corruption in not just agencies but also in government, and that in itself is a cancer which needs to be addressed.' 'You can't address the issue of trans-national crime and syndicates and the risk of trans-national crime without addressing the linkages to corruption that come along with that,' Mr Sousa-Santos said. While methamphetamine trafficking is not illegal in PNG, smuggling undeclared goods is an offence under PNG's Customs Act.Īustralia Pacific Security College policy fellow Jose Sousa-Santos said changes to drug laws needed to be two-pronged and address the issue of corruption.

In October, the Post Courier reported on a 31-year-old Cairns man who was charged with smuggling methamphetamine into PNG.Ī spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement they were 'providing consular assistance to two Australian citizens detained in Papua New Guinea', but would not provide further comments due to their privacy obligations.

There have been a string of drug busts in the country in recent years, including in July and August 2020 when more than 500 kilograms of cocaine was seized and an Australian pilot was arrested after a plane believed to be linked to drug trafficking crashed in Port Moresb y. In a statement, he said the government would push for the legislation to be 'reviewed, amended and scheduled for presentation in parliament in the near future'.

PNG's Police Minister William Onglo said he supported amendments to the old law. Assistant Commissioner Yamasombi said the Dangerous Drugs Act 1954 needed to be overhauled to reflect the current threat that drugs like methamphetamine posed to PNG.

Downstream casino drug bust