Australians in PNG face drug charges
Updated
Police allegedly found half a kilogram of marijuana on board the Perenti. (Post-Courier newspaper: Gorrethy Kenneth)
Five Australian tourists have been arrested in Papua New Guinea after police found nearly half a kilogram of marijuana on board their yacht.
Police searched the 54-foot yacht Perenti off the coast of Bougainville after receiving a tip-off from locals last Friday.
They allegedly found 470 grams of marijuana in one of the cabins.
Police have not released the names of the five Australian men on board, who are aged in their 30s and 40s.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs says one of them is a 46-year-old Queensland man but no other details have been provided.
All of the men have been charged with one count of possessing a dangerous drug and face up to 18 months in jail.
They were released on bail after appearing in court in the provincial capital Buka on Monday afternoon.
They have been ordered to stay in Buka until their next court appearance on Thursday.
Police say the men sailed from the Solomon Islands and customs officials are also investigating their arrival in PNG waters.
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