Hillbroom back in Palau jail on 'ice' selling charges

Koror- The DHL heir Larry Imeong Hillbroom Jr., already awaiting trial for drug trafficking last year was arrested anew on new charges of methampethamine selling and possession.

Palau Vice President and Minister of Justice Raynold Oilouch on Thursday, confirmed that Hillbroom was arrested in the state of Peleliu in the early morning of Oct. 11 by drug enforcement operatives and is now back in jail.

Based on Criminal Case No. 17-162, the Attorney General’s Office filed two counts of trafficking a controlled substance against Hillbroom on Oct. 10.

According to court documents, the Narcotics Enforcement Agency was assigned to investigate a case involving suspected drug trafficking involving another person in April.

Through a confidential informant, the NEA arranged a buy-bust operation but instead of found Hillbroom in the arranged area and made contact with the informant and conducted the transaction, selling a quantity of methamphetamine.

In May NEA and again Hillbroom made the transaction with the confidential informant.

In both operations, Hillbroom personally made the buys.

The arrest warrant against Hillbroom was ordered on Oct. 10, 2017.

A plea hearing was conducted on Oct. 12 and Judge Lourdes Materne set the bail against Hillbroom at $250,000 cash or $500,000 surety bond.

Hillbroom is a son of DHL founder Larry Hillblom although their surnames are spelled differently.

In February 2016, Hillbroom was arrested after the seizure of 160 grams of methamphetamine, and pleaded not guilty to a trafficking charge. The trial for the 2016 arrest was supposed to be scheduled for January of 2018.

Hillbroom was also sentenced to five years probation for the escape days after he was arrested in 2016.

In Palau, a drug trafficking charge carries a sentence of 25-50 years in jail.