Papa Lealea drug bust

Cutmore slapped with new charges under Customs Act

He is charged with two counts of smuggling prohibited goods under the Customs Act of 1951.

In April, Cutmore pleaded guilty and was fined K37, 000 for breaching two charges under the Civil Aviation Act.

The 53 year-old Australian, appeared briefly at the Central Committal Court this morning. He looked to be in an ill state as he supported himself with crutches.

The customs officer in charge of this matter did not appear in court thus the matter was adjourned to September 23th.

Drug Case Sent To Aus

“Our existing laws were inadequate and we could not effectively prosecute the case here in PNG to obtain the maximum penalty. We therefore had to send the suspects and the drugs to Australia where the laws were quite strong. The Government is currently taking measures to amend our legislation so that we can effectively deal with such transnational crimes,” Manning said.

He said that the Constabulary is also working to strengthening its processes and systems to effectively detect and prosecute such crimes being committed on PNG soil.