Duo handed long jail sentences in $20.93m drug case

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Picture: FILE.

TWO men convicted in the “biggest drug cultivation” case in Fiji were handed long prison sentences earlier this afternoon.

The duo, Amani Masikerei and Samuela Natokalau, are convicted on one count of unlawful cultivation of illicit drugs.

Masikerei was sentenced to 18 years and two months with a non-parole period of 14 years and two months.

Natokalau has been sentenced to 17 years and two months with a non-paroleperiod of 13 years and two months.

The two men unlawfully cultivated 1440 plants of marijuana which had a total weight of 1046.8 kilograms on January 13, 2018, in Kadavu.

The court was informed that the drugs had a street value of $20,936 million.

Judge JusticeThushara Rajasinghe said this was a well planned cultivation of huge amounts of drugs.

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