The Office of the Attorney General has filed charges against a Chinese national for methamphetamine trafficking and possession, both felony offenses with mandatory jail time and fines if convicted. Authorities identified the defendant as Liu Mingkun, who was in Palau on an extended tourist visa.

According to police reports, Liu allegedly sold 2.54 grams of methamphetamine, known locally as “ice,” to a police informant during a controlled drug buy last week. The informant, equipped with marked bills and monitored by police, was seen parking his vehicle on the roadside, where a silver car driven by Liu pulled up. After a brief interaction, the informant returned to his vehicle with two plastic bags containing a crystalline substance, which later field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

Officers tailing Liu’s vehicle stopped him shortly after and reportedly found the marked bills on his person. Liu now faces two felony charges: Possession of a Controlled Substance and Trafficking a Controlled Substance. If convicted, the trafficking charge carries a mandatory sentence of at least 25 years in prison and a minimum fine of $50,000.

Vice President and Minister of Justice J. Uduch Sengebau-Senior has acknowledged the meth crisis as a severe issue in Palau, which has seen a surge in meth use. This growing problem has also led Koror’s traditional chiefs to enact a bul, or traditional prohibition, instituting a curfew in Koror effective November 1.

In a recent press conference, Minister Sengebau-Senior and Bureau of Public Safety Director Curtis Elobt urged community-wide cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. “This is not just police work. It requires a whole-community approach, with everyone’s support, to address the crisis,” Sengebau-Senior stated.

The meth crisis has further raised concerns after the recent death of a Koror State employee, which authorities have not ruled out as drug-related.