Man charged for importing and growing cannabis, to appear at next court hearing

At 5 pm yesterday afternoon, the Niue Police served a search warrant at a residence at Makefu on suspicion of growing cannabis, also known as marijuana.

In a press release received this morning, Niue Police said that acting on a tip from an anonymous source, they obtained and served a search warrant on a residence suspected of growing cannabis. 

The warrant for the search of the property was signed by Chief Justice Craig Coxhead. 

Evidence was obtained from the search and one person was arrested, charged, and released on bail. Niue Police want to thank the public for their assistance in locating these cannabis plants.

The Chief of Police, Tim Wilson told BCN News today that the man will appear at the next sitting of the Niue High Court so they are not able to reveal further at this time.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the importation of the cannabis seeds is ongoing and information from the Police investigation will be forwarded to Niue Customs and BioSecurity for their investigation into the importation of seeds and controlled drugs.

According to the Niue Police, violation of the Misuse of Drugs Act 2007 carries a minimum penalty of 3 months in prison and/or 5 penalty units or $500 and a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison and/or 1000 penalty units or $100,000. 

BCN News understands that this is the first case of someone being charged with the importation and growing of cannabis on the island in recent history.