Koroba Police crackdown on marijuana cultivation

Koroba MS22 Acting Commander Jonathan Lakaio (left) and a member at a village where marijuana plants have been cultivated. (Image: Supplied)

The Mobile Squad 22 [MS22] of the Koroba Police has launched a campaign to uproot marijuana plants in local communities in the Koroba Lake Kopiago District of Hela Province.

Acting MS22 Commander Jonathan Lakaio said the operations started in the North Koroba Local Level Government on Tuesday and will continue throughout the entire district.

He said officers destroyed an entire plot of marijuana, disposing off the plants in the Tagali river and yesterday, another plot was uprooted and the owner was arrested and taken to Tari police station, waiting to face formal charges.

"The unit’s two main priorities for this year are; preventing liquor from being transported into the district and crackdown on marijuana cultivation.

"The prolonged marijuana use can significantly impair cognitive development, diminishing the ability to think critically and rationally. This erosion of intellectual capacity among youth threatens not only their personal growth but also the long-term stability and progress of our communities." He said.

Commander Lakaio urged the people to plant coffee seedlings distributed by local MP William Bando and embrace legitimate agricultural practices.

He stressed that MS22 is committed to intervening in areas identified as hotspots for marijuana cultivation, acting on credible intelligence to dismantle these operations.

Koroba Lake Kopiago District Development Authority CEO Stanley Kotange thanked the members for the campaign and said the DDA will back the members to continue the campaign.