Seized drugs set for destruction

The Royal Solomon Islands Police is working on a plan to destroy the cocaine seized on a yacht last week in Honiara.

Police commissioner Matthew Varley said currently the drugs were being tested by forensics to determine their chemical content and purity.

Mr Varley said the drugs tested positive of pure cocaine, and said police would be working with the Director of public prosecution and the courts to arrange a destruction process for the drugs.

Asked when the drugs will be destroyed, Mr Varley answered, in the coming weeks.

” Essentially the drugs have to be burned, that’s the intentional method for disposing of these narcotics, but is has to be some special procedures to make sure that first of all the forensic side is managed and we can account for each block that is burned,” he said.

” We do a counting procedure to double check that, we also have to make sure the burning is done in a safe way, so currently we are exploring options, we’ve been talking to the forensic chemists and scientists in Australia to get some technical advice on that.”

As for the seized yacht, Mr Varley said it was still in police custody as a police exhibit.

By: Lowen Sei.