160 grams of Metamphamine (“ICE”) was seized from the flight of United Airlines arriving at the Airai Airport in Palau last Saturday which led to the arrest and arraignment of Junior Larry Imeong Hillbroom Wednesday after his arrival from Manila.
Hillbroom is one of the heirs of the DHL.
This is the largest single bust of illegal drugs according to investigators since the anti-drug task force headed by Public Safety Director Ismael Aguon, was created through presidential executive order and began operation last November. This is a result of public outcry over the growing use and trafficking of illegal drugs in the country in recent months.
According to court documents and community sources, a Palauan woman by the name of Sorch Meyar from Meyuns and a Filipina woman arrived from Manila on Saturday, February 13. Upon search of their belongings, 160 grams were found concealed on their bodies, according to Director Aguon. They were reportedly given the items by Hillbroom who was still in Manila then and returned Wednesday early morning.
The seized drugs has a local street value of US$160,000.
He was then arraigned in the afternoon on a single count of trafficking in controlled substance (illegal drugs) before Associate Justice Lourdes Materne who set a $250,000 cash bail or $500,000 surety bond.
The penalty for conviction in the trafficking in controlled substance is between 25 and 50 years in prison and US$50,000 and US$1,000,000 in fine or both.
Hillbroom known in Meyuns where he grew up as Imeong is a millionaire from the inheritance of his late eccentric multi-millionaire father, Larry Hillbloom, founder and part owner of DHL who got lost in Saipan in a small plane which was never found in the 1980’s. Hillbroom in his late 20’s lives in Idaho, USA with his family and they have been back to Palau for some months.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice just release a statement that Hillbroom escaped from the Koror Jail Thursday afternoon.
Hillbroom had been talking to a visitor inside the Division of Corrections office when he suddenly ran out the front door and jumped into the passenger side of a white pick-up truck that was parked outside.
A police officer that tried to stop the pick-up truck from getting away was injured in the process.
The driver of the pick-up truck was identified as Edwin Nakamura. Police have located the pick-up truck, but have not been able to find Hillbroom or Nakamura.
Police are asking for the public’s cooperation and assistance in locating Hillbroom and Nakamura....