Suspects charged over Choulai stolen cigarettes

The Policing the Police Task Force Team have charged two people following the recovery of 75 cartons of stolen cigarettes worth over K700,000 last week.

Gabriel Bona and Christine Kamel were arrested and charged for receiving and being in possession of the stolen cigarettes.

They were apprehended and charged last week, after the cartons of cigarettes were found in their residence at Tokarara in the National Capital District (NCD).

Seventy-five of the 160 cartons of cigarettes stolen from Choulai, a wholesale outlet in Port Moresby, were recovered by the PPTFT last Monday.

The K1.5 million worth of Cambridge cigarette cartons were stolen at 11am on Saturday 19 January, at Two-Mile Hill.

The company offered K100,000 cash reward for anyone who provided information that would lead to the recovery of the cartons of stolen cigarettes.

However, the recovery of the cigarettes was largely due to the tireless efforts of the members of the PPTFT, hence the K100,000 cash reward was offered to the PPTFT.

Officer in Charge (OIC) Senior Sergeant Apollos Terry turned down the reward saying it was not proper and that police were only doing their job.

Senior Sergeant Terry said the balance of the 160 cartons of cigarettes were not yet recovered and his team was working around the clock to get them.

(The boxes of cigarettes at the Boroko Police Station)

Author: 
Press release