Ramingining Police arrested a 56-year-old respected Elder on Good Friday in relation to a kava seizure.

Members were conducting traffic duties on Ramingining Barge Landing Road and stopped a Toyota Landcruiser.

A search of the vehicle was conducted, locating approximately 16 kg's of kava and a small amount of cannabis.

The Kava with a street value of $16 000 was headed for the island community of Milingimbi before it was intercepted by police.

Superintendent Helen Braam of the Northern Operational Service Division, "People are obviously not getting the message about drugs in the community. Kava is a drug - it has serious medical and social repercussions for the community.

"The Police will continue to disrupt and target drug dealers in the community - no matter who they are or what their standing is in the community. I would however expect that respected people in the community would be part of the solution not the problem. This is not the first occasion when a respected community member has been involved in drug or grog running.

"The members of the Katherine and Northern Regional Command are working hard with key representatives across the region to put in place mutual respect protocols that will guide the way police and community work together to address crime issues, and this includes the running of cannabis, grog and kava. People who behave in this manner undermine and devalue this whole process."

The 56-year-old was charged with possessing a trafficable amount of kava, supply kava without a license and possess cannabis and is to appear in court in May. A second man was summonsed for traffic offences.

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Amy Sloan
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