By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
KOROR, Palau (June 13, 2025) — A Palauan man was formally charged last month with trafficking and possession of methamphetamine, becoming the latest in a growing list of individuals held in custody while awaiting trial due to inability to post bail.
Billy Williams Jr., also known as Billy Kumangai, was charged on May 23 with five felony counts — two for trafficking methamphetamine and three for possession — following two separate controlled drug buys monitored by police earlier that month.
According to court documents, the Narcotics Enforcement Unit conducted the first controlled buy on May 7, during which a confidential informant, whose vehicle had been searched prior to the operation, was observed purchasing drugs from Kumangai. After the exchange, police recovered two heat-sealed straws containing a crystalline substance weighing approximately 0.23 grams, which tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine.
A second controlled buy took place on May 22. The informant again returned with a clear, heat-sealed straw containing 0.12 grams of methamphetamine. Police arrested Kumangai following the transaction and found an additional straw and a zip-lock bag with 0.71 grams of the drug on his person during a pat-down search.
Under Palau’s drug laws, trafficking methamphetamine carries a mandatory prison sentence of 25 to 50 years and fines ranging from $50,000 to $1 million. Possession of less than one gram is also a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a minimum fine of $10,000.
Kumangai remains in custody, unable to post the required $50,000 bail — a situation shared by many others currently facing drug charges.
At a June 4 press conference, Minister of Justice Jennifer Olegeriil said 23 individuals are currently in long-term detention, 22 of whom face drug-related charges. Of those, 19 are men and 4 are women. Among them are six Chinese nationals — four men and two women — also held pending trial.
“Many of these individuals are in custody simply because they cannot afford the high bail amount,” Minister Olegeriil said. She added that two additional prosecutors from the United States are expected to be hired by July to help reduce the growing backlog of drug cases in court.