Detective Sergeant Ian Kennon from the Substance Abuse Intelligence Desk said three men were arrested after being pulled over by Northern Territory Police drug squad detectives on the Stuart Highway, about two kilometres north of Katherine, at about 7am on Friday.

“Drug detector dog Leo gave a positive reaction and, upon a search of the vehicle, police located 35 clip seal bags of methamphetamine, with a combined weight of 9.1 grams, concealed in a false engine part under the bonnet,” he said.

“The alleged offenders aged 32, 32 and 29 were arrested and conveyed to Katherine Police Station for questioning.”

The trio was charged with three counts of possessing a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine, three counts of possessing the drug in a public place, three counts of supplying methamphetamine and three counts of possessing a controlled weapon.

In addition, the 29-year-old driver was charged with driving with a prohibited drug in the bloodstream and failing to produce a licence on request.