A man has been detained here in the capital on Tuesday following an attempt to transport 300 5.56mm live bullets (used in M16 assault rifles) to Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands.
According to Police Commissioner David Manning, the person arrested was formerly employed as a private security guard.
“At around 11am on Tuesday a male passenger checked in at the Port Moresby Domestic Terminal intending to travel to Mt. Hagen on PX184, which was scheduled to depart at 11:40am.”
The Commissioner said investigations into the suspect’s actions are underway with the suspect expected to be charged with multiple offences. Manning stated that as violence in the highlands region slowly dies down, police personnel are coming down hard on those that try to transport weapons and ammunition into the fighting areas.
He further said that it was very concerning that the suspect was able to bypass initial screening points with the rounds undetected. “
The man appears to have been able to pass the bag screening at the departure terminal before the contents were discovered prior to loading on the plane.”
He added that this could not be the work of only one person and that investigations are underway to figure out how he managed to get the rounds into the terminal before being caught out and will be looking to Identify who his accomplices may have been.
“The overall security screening process is under review in consultation with airport authorities and police presence at the airport will be increased.”