Overview:
A routine traffic stop in Koror has led to drug possession charges against a local woman after officers spotted suspected methamphetamine paraphernalia in plain view — the latest arrest under Palau’s newly strengthened drug enforcement law.
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
Koror, Palau — A Palauan woman has been charged with drug possession after a late-night traffic stop led officers to discover suspected methamphetamine paraphernalia inside her vehicle.
Denitha Tarkong was charged with possession of less than one gram of a controlled substance following a stop that occurred between 11 p.m. and midnight on Aug. 13, 2025, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the Supreme Court Trial Division. The charge was formally filed June 2.
Detective Sgt. Hubson Schalboy of the Bureau of Public Safety’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit stated in the affidavit that a patrol officer observed what appeared to be marijuana and a methamphetamine smoking pipe in plain view inside the vehicle. Officers then transported Tarkong and her vehicle to NEU headquarters, where they recovered two clear straws containing a crystalline substance, along with a glass pipe.
Tarkong subsequently told officers that the straws and glass pipe belonged to her and provided a written statement confirming that account, the affidavit states. She also told investigators she purchased the straws from a Chinese man residing at the Villa Forest Hotel in Ocheloch, Airai, and said she was willing to cooperate in identifying the seller.
A field test produced a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine. Based on those findings, the Attorney General filed an information charging Tarkong under 34 PNC § 3302(a) and § 3302(d)(1).
A conviction on the charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of at least $10,000.
The arrest comes as Palau moves to crack down on drug offenses. President Surangel Whipps Jr. signed RPPL 12-5 into law last month, strengthening penalties for drug-related crimes and classifying individuals who test positive for illegal substances as being in possession of a controlled substance.
