Combating Methamphetamine: Prioritizing Non-Traditional Security in Papua New Guinea

Developing countries like Papua New Guinea (PNG) should prioritize addressing non-traditional security concerns, particularly transnational crime such as drug trafficking, specifically the production and distribution of methamphetamine. PNG has gained recognition as a transition point, destination, and production hub for methamphetamine.

Photo from Post Courier

Efforts have been made by various investigative agencies to combat this issue. In 2021, an inter-agency investigation team, comprising the US Department of Homeland Security, Australian Federal Police, the Royal PNG Constabulary, and the PNG Customs Services, conducted a raid on November 16. The operation led to the arrest of Australian national Jamie Pang, who was found with a meth lab in his hotel room. Surprisingly, he was not charged under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1954, as this law does not prohibit the production, sale, or use of methamphetamine in PNG.

The raid on Pang's hotel room was a result of extensive surveillance conducted by the inter-agency team, which had prior knowledge that the property was being used to produce methamphetamine for distribution to drug users in PNG, Australia, or New Zealand.

In the same year, another Australian national named Sean Anthony Honey was arrested on October 2. The inter-agency investigation team apprehended him at the BSA Construction and Maintenance yard in the National Capital District. Honey was found in possession of 168kg of methamphetamine, valued at K90 million on the street. The team allowed the shipment of drugs to enter PNG on a cargo vessel from the United States, enabling them to execute a search, seizure, and arrest operation against those involved in the drug trafficking.

The intelligence gathered from these operations, as well as a significant cocaine bust in 2020, confirmed the presence of large-scale methamphetamine production laboratories operating in Port Moresby, with the intention of smuggling the drugs to Australia. It was revealed that the production, distribution, and sale of methamphetamine had been ongoing for several years with the knowledge and protection of law enforcement officials, politicians, and highly paid public servants.

Tonga has experienced a severe methamphetamine epidemic, with up to 70% of mental health patients being addicts. A special task force arrested 96 individuals over a six-month period in 2018 for charges related to methamphetamine production, distribution, and sales. Methamphetamine has infiltrated all segments of society in Tonga.

Five major drug syndicates import methamphetamine from Sydney, and these syndicates distribute the drugs to dealers and individuals in villages. Syndicate members have disclosed that their role is mainly limited to distributing the drugs locally, as there are government insiders involved in trafficking methamphetamine into the country. Consequently, the use and distribution of methamphetamine have caused devastation to families and communities. Church leaders, civil servants, politicians, traditional leaders, customs officials, and police officers are all implicated in this illicit trade. The well-organized syndicates, backed by substantial financial resources, have been able to enlist individuals from various professions and societal levels, often driven by addiction or financial needs.

These syndicates have recognized the potential for profits from the local market they have cultivated. They have gone to the extent of encouraging children to use methamphetamine, aiming to solidify their market. The police have even caught instances of methamphetamine being sold to school children.

Tonga, which was previously a transit point for drugs bound for Australia and New Zealand, has now become a destination point as well.

Considering the developments in PNG, it is highly likely that it is evolving into a methamphetamine production hub. The existence of a small meth lab in Port Moresby indicates the presence of a syndicate operating in the city, producing and distributing methamphetamine for both the local and international markets. If other individuals with resources, time, and knowledge establish small meth labs in different parts of the country and supply to users in towns and villages, there will be an increase in methamphetamine use and supply, particularly among low to middle-income socioeconomic groups. This pattern resembles what has occurred in Tonga.

PNG may also be turning into a destination point for methamphetamine. The successful movement of 168kg of methamphetamine from the United States to PNG demonstrates that traffickers can bring large quantities into the country. African or South American syndicates could similarly traffic significant amounts from regions like Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, and Indonesia to PNG through coastal areas like Milne Bay, Manus, West New Britain, and Gulf without detection.

The escalation in methamphetamine production, sales, and usage will result in a rise in mental health issues stemming from addiction and substance abuse. The arrest of individuals like Pang and Honey is an early indication of this trend, as many addicts are likely to develop mental health problems in the coming years, necessitating institutionalization.

However, PNG is ill-equipped to handle such an epidemic, given that it has only one major mental health institution in Port Moresby. This institution would struggle to provide adequate mental health care if the country experiences a methamphetamine epidemic on the scale of Tonga. With PNG's larger population, such an epidemic would strain the government's limited resources and finances.

To address the threat posed by methamphetamine, PNG needs a comprehensive national strategy specifically targeting this issue. While the country's National Security Policy (NSP) of 2013 categorizes drug trafficking and abuse as a level one threat to national security, no national strategy has been formulated thus far. A whole-of-government approach involving various departments, agencies, and international partners is crucial.

This national strategy on methamphetamine should be distinct from strategies addressing marijuana or cocaine, as the effects and processes involved in methamphetamine differ slightly. Having a separate strategy will aid in effectively containing the trafficking and abuse of methamphetamine.

The national strategy on methamphetamine should align with recent changes to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1954 and the new Controlled Substance Bill 2021, consistent with the Nasonini Declaration. Collaboration with other Pacific island countries, particularly Tonga, is vital. Establishing an inter-agency regional investigative body, led by the police and customs, would align with the views of forum member countries in the Honiara Declaration and promote cooperation in disrupting the flow of illicit drugs.