‘Bob Marley’ caught growing marijuana

KUNDIAWA – “Bob Marley” has been arrested, convicted and jailed for two years after being found guilty of growing marijuana.

But unlike the late Jamaican reggae star, Papua New Guinea’s Bob Marley is a she – Mali Yauma.

The woman was just one victim of an ongoing police operation Weedim Grass which has resulted in the uprooting of more than 100,000 marijuana plants in the past three years.

Yauma, popularly known locally as “Bob Marley”, appeared in the Kundiawa District Court yesterday morning and was convicted and jailed.

Provincial police commander Albert Beli said a police team raided Yauma’s village and uprooted 295 marijuana plants. After that they arrested Yauma and charged her with growing the illegal drug.

The court was told “Bob Marley” had been in the marijuana business for at least five years until her arrest on Tuesday.

Chief Insp Beli said that since 2013, Weedim Grass officers had uprooted more than 137,000 marijuana plants which could have produced drugs with a street value of NZ$32 million.

“In Kundiawa alone, about 130,000 plants have been uprooted,” he added.

“It’s a booming business but we managed to crack down this illegal drug throughout the Highlands region.”