Justice Salesi Temo praised a 37-year-old farmer for co-operating with the Fiji Police Force by voluntarily showing his marijuana farm and assisting the officers in uprooting them.

Between August 2018 to December 2018, at Vusasivo, in Savusavu, Cakaudrove, Anare Yabakidrau cultivated 2447 marijuana, weighing a total of 369 kilograms.

He also had in his possession 752.4 grams of marijuana.

Yabakidrau was charged with one count each of unlawful possession of illicit drugs and unlawful cultivation of illicit drugs.

He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in November last year for the first charge and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of five years for the second charge.

The court heard that Yabakidrau, a farmer, planted yaqona, dalo, cassava and vegetables and earned between $500 and $1000 per month. From marijuana, he earned between $500 to $600 weekly.

What Justice Temo said:

Justice Temo told Yabakidrau: “It was your full co-operation with the Police from the start that is worthy of comment.

“Never in a big case as yours had someone fully co-operated with the Police and I had never seen this before in all the cannabis sativa cases I had dealt with.

“Your co-operation with the Police showed the good side of you and that need to be encouraged, and I hope other offenders are taking note,” Justice Temo said.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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