Continued Palau & Taiwan Responses to (Drug-Related?) Homicide (Murder?) of T. Johanes in Palau
Drug Trafficking Charges filed against foreign tourist amid Palau’s worsening meth crisis
by Island Times
November 1, 2024
The Office of the Attorney General has filed charges against a Chinese national for methamphetamine trafficking and possession, both felony offenses with mandatory jail time and fines if convicted. Authorities identified the defendant as Liu Mingkun, who was in Palau on an extended tourist visa.
According to police reports, Liu allegedly sold 2.54 grams of methamphetamine, known locally as “ice,” to a police informant during a controlled drug buy last week. The informant, equipped with marked bills and monitored by police, was seen parking his vehicle on the roadside, where a silver car driven by Liu pulled up. After a brief interaction, the informant returned to his vehicle with two plastic bags containing a crystalline substance, which later field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
Officers tailing Liu’s vehicle stopped him shortly after and reportedly found the marked bills on his person. Liu now faces two felony charges: Possession of a Controlled Substance and Trafficking a Controlled Substance. If convicted, the trafficking charge carries a mandatory sentence of at least 25 years in prison and a minimum fine of $50,000.
Vice President and Minister of Justice J. Uduch Sengebau-Senior has acknowledged the meth crisis as a severe issue in Palau, which has seen a surge in meth use. This growing problem has also led Koror’s traditional chiefs to enact a bul, or traditional prohibition, instituting a curfew in Koror effective November 1.
In a recent press conference, Minister Sengebau-Senior and Bureau of Public Safety Director Curtis Elobt urged community-wide cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. “This is not just police work. It requires a whole-community approach, with everyone’s support, to address the crisis,” Sengebau-Senior stated.
The meth crisis has further raised concerns after the recent death of a Koror State employee, which authorities have not ruled out as drug-related.
https://islandtimes.org/drug-trafficking-charges-filed-against-foreign-tourist-amid-palaus-worsening-meth-crisis/
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ROC, Taiwan - Donates Field Test Kits to help Fight Against Drugs
by Island Times
November 1, 2024
KOROR, PALAU - In our efforts to eradicate illegal drug use from homes and schools, Xie Xie to Republic of China - Taiwan for their donation of field drug tests.
The tests can be used by public safety officers at the Bureau of Public Safety, Customs and Border Protection, Palau International Airport and the Palau Post Office to test for illegal substances. The test kits can provide results for various substances in about 5 minutes.
H.E. Ambassador Jessica C. Lee and a team of investigators from Taiwan presented the test kits to President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. and members of the Coordinated Border Management Working Group on Oct. 25, 2024.
https://islandtimes.org/roc-taiwan-donates-field-test-kits-to-help-fight-against-drugs/
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Tellames acquitted of drug trafficking, Remeliik charged
by Leilani Reklai
February 17, 2023
Johanes Tellames was cleared of the charges of trafficking and possession of methamphetamine or “ice” after a four-day jury trial. Tellames was charged in May of 2022 with one count of trafficking and one count of possession of the illegal drug known as “ice.”
Contradicting testimonies from the police officers, the confidential informant, and a contradictory statement from a Guam officer who received evidence sent to Guam for verification led to the jury’s decision to acquit Tellames of all charges.
The badly botched case resulted in the acquittal of Mr. Tellames.
Meanwhile, the Government filed another drug possession and trafficking case against Eusevious Remeliik, aka Tex Remeliik, this January 2023.
The charges alleged that at three different occasions, Mr. Remeliik sold “ice” to a confidential informant, and the officers at three different times verified the buy.
Remeliik is charged with six felony counts, three Possession of a Controlled Substance, and three Trafficking of a Controlled Substance, methamphetamine or “ice.” (By: L.N. Reklai)
https://islandtimes.org/tellames-acquitted-of-drug-trafficking-remeliik-charged/
by Island Times
November 1, 2024
The Office of the Attorney General has filed charges against a Chinese national for methamphetamine trafficking and possession, both felony offenses with mandatory jail time and fines if convicted. Authorities identified the defendant as Liu Mingkun, who was in Palau on an extended tourist visa.
According to police reports, Liu allegedly sold 2.54 grams of methamphetamine, known locally as “ice,” to a police informant during a controlled drug buy last week. The informant, equipped with marked bills and monitored by police, was seen parking his vehicle on the roadside, where a silver car driven by Liu pulled up. After a brief interaction, the informant returned to his vehicle with two plastic bags containing a crystalline substance, which later field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
Officers tailing Liu’s vehicle stopped him shortly after and reportedly found the marked bills on his person. Liu now faces two felony charges: Possession of a Controlled Substance and Trafficking a Controlled Substance. If convicted, the trafficking charge carries a mandatory sentence of at least 25 years in prison and a minimum fine of $50,000.
Vice President and Minister of Justice J. Uduch Sengebau-Senior has acknowledged the meth crisis as a severe issue in Palau, which has seen a surge in meth use. This growing problem has also led Koror’s traditional chiefs to enact a bul, or traditional prohibition, instituting a curfew in Koror effective November 1.
In a recent press conference, Minister Sengebau-Senior and Bureau of Public Safety Director Curtis Elobt urged community-wide cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. “This is not just police work. It requires a whole-community approach, with everyone’s support, to address the crisis,” Sengebau-Senior stated.
The meth crisis has further raised concerns after the recent death of a Koror State employee, which authorities have not ruled out as drug-related.
https://islandtimes.org/drug-trafficking-charges-filed-against-foreign-tourist-amid-palaus-worsening-meth-crisis/
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ROC, Taiwan - Donates Field Test Kits to help Fight Against Drugs
by Island Times
November 1, 2024
KOROR, PALAU - In our efforts to eradicate illegal drug use from homes and schools, Xie Xie to Republic of China - Taiwan for their donation of field drug tests.
The tests can be used by public safety officers at the Bureau of Public Safety, Customs and Border Protection, Palau International Airport and the Palau Post Office to test for illegal substances. The test kits can provide results for various substances in about 5 minutes.
H.E. Ambassador Jessica C. Lee and a team of investigators from Taiwan presented the test kits to President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. and members of the Coordinated Border Management Working Group on Oct. 25, 2024.
https://islandtimes.org/roc-taiwan-donates-field-test-kits-to-help-fight-against-drugs/
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Tellames acquitted of drug trafficking, Remeliik charged
by Leilani Reklai
February 17, 2023
Johanes Tellames was cleared of the charges of trafficking and possession of methamphetamine or “ice” after a four-day jury trial. Tellames was charged in May of 2022 with one count of trafficking and one count of possession of the illegal drug known as “ice.”
Contradicting testimonies from the police officers, the confidential informant, and a contradictory statement from a Guam officer who received evidence sent to Guam for verification led to the jury’s decision to acquit Tellames of all charges.
The badly botched case resulted in the acquittal of Mr. Tellames.
Meanwhile, the Government filed another drug possession and trafficking case against Eusevious Remeliik, aka Tex Remeliik, this January 2023.
The charges alleged that at three different occasions, Mr. Remeliik sold “ice” to a confidential informant, and the officers at three different times verified the buy.
Remeliik is charged with six felony counts, three Possession of a Controlled Substance, and three Trafficking of a Controlled Substance, methamphetamine or “ice.” (By: L.N. Reklai)
https://islandtimes.org/tellames-acquitted-of-drug-trafficking-remeliik-charged/