DHL heir allowed to leave Palau for drug rehab

KOROR ( Palau): DHL heir and convicted drug trafficker Larry Hillbroom Jr was given permission to leave the Pacific nation of Palau to undergo addiction therapy, with a judge citing his wealth as a major factor in the decision.

The multi-millionaire has long battled substance abuse issues and was convicted in June of trafficking methamphetamine in the tiny island country.

He briefly went on the run in July after failing a drug test while on probation and faced court yesterday.

Associate Justice Lourdes Materne said she would allow Hillbroom to leave Palau for treatment because there were no rehabilitation programmes on the island.

“I find myself giving you another chance,” she said.

“One thing that can’t be ignored is that he is an addict, and that he has a problem.

“You have been given many chances,” she added.

Prosecutors asked for a 30-year sentence but Materne said Hillbroom’s wealth meant he was in a unique position to seek treatment that was unavailable in Palau.

However, she said she would impose the 30-year term if he did not complete the rehabilitation programme or failed another drug test after returning to Palau.

Hillbroom, who holds US and Palau passports, is the son of the late Larry Hillblom, co-founder of the freight giant DHL, although their surnames are spelled differently.

He is one of four illegitimate children sired by Hillblom and successfully sued for a share of the billionaire businessman’s fortune after Hillblom died in a plane crash in 1995.