Members of the Substance Abuse Intelligence Desk in Katherine conducted a patrol and road side stop of all vehicles travelling on the Ramingining Road in Maningrida.

The road block saw a large number of cars stopped and various amount of cannabis seized.

A total of 106 bags of cannabis weighing a total of 41.1 grams were seized, six summons files were submitted and seven infringement notices were issued for various offences.

Superintendent Helen Braam said "this is just another example of the ongoing exploitation of persons who live on remote communities. Although the total amount of cannabis seized maybe viewed as relatively small - the reality is people are paying $100 for a bag containing cannabis roughly the size of ten cent coin or .5 of a gram.

"In comparison a 1 gm bag of cannabis purchased in an urban centre would have a street value of $50, the mark up is astounding".

"The alternative for a remote community family is spending $100 on letting their kids go to the show, buying them a new bike for their birthday or sending them on a school excursion - something most urban kids take for granted - and whose parents are not being extorted because of an addiction. The flip side is the dealers getting around in their new 4wd's or kicking back watching movies on their $10 000 home theatre systems".


Media Contact:
Rickie Scoot
8922 3185