Five adults have been arrested after Australia’s Northern Territory Police intercepted a large kava shipment in the East Arnhem Region.
On Wednesday, 16 April 2025, Northern Territory Police received intelligence about a large quantity of kava expected to be transported to Ramingining and Gapuwiyak.
The Dog Operations Unit coordinated a response, establishing a cordoned area along the Stuart Highway to intercept the alleged offenders. The suspects evaded police and returned towards Katherine.
Additional resources were deployed from Katherine, including the Dog Operations Unit with Patrol Dog Boss and Drug Dog Rambo, the Specialist Response Division, Territory Safety Division, and the National Substance Abuse Intelligence Desk.
Two vehicles were stopped on the Stuart Highway where a search revealed several bottles of spirits, 250g of cannabis, and 121kg of kava.
Two females and three males, aged between 47 and 59, were charged with possessing and supplying a commercial quantity of kava, as well as supplying a dangerous drug, schedule 2, to an Indigenous community.
Senior Sergeant Meacham King stated, “This operation demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the DOU in disrupting the flow of destructive substances into vulnerable communities. We will continue to target individuals who facilitate the illegal supply of regulated substances.”
“This was an excellent collaboration between all our divisions, and I would like to thank all the officers involved in the swift action and apprehensions,” King added.
Under the Kava Management Act 1998, possessing more than 2 kilograms of kava in the Northern Territory is illegal. The act also prohibits the import, sale, supply, cultivation, manufacture, and production of kava.
