Cocaine importation group defendants face nearly 100 charges

Thirty-one fresh charges laid against accused cocaine importation group. New Zealand Herald Photograph by George Heard

Nine people now face almost 100 charges relating to allegations of a criminal group importing cocaine, after 31 fresh charges were laid against them ahead of appearances in the Christchurch District Court today.

The group faced charges of importing the drug, participating in an organised group, and money laundering after a series of raids and arrests mainly in Canterbury in November.

Several of those arrested were farm workers, from Colombia, and an interpreter was present in court to assist some of them today.

The details of the new charges are not yet known. Although they were referred to by Judge Jim Large at a Crown case review hearing for the whole group, the charges have not yet been served on the people or their defence lawyers.

Some of them have name suppression, and an additional interim suppression order was imposed on coverage of one appearance today.

Also, earlier permission to photograph several of the defendants in court has been stopped by a High Court order.

The defendants were all remanded - some in custody and some on bail - to another Crown case review hearing on March 28, when a date will be set to argue the suppression issues and the media's application to use the photographs it already has.

Most have pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury. Some charges, especially those just laid, have been remanded without plea.

Disclosure of the details of the Crown's case is continuing in monthly instalments, according to Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes.

"This is a very substantial police inquiry, with multiple (communications) devices having been seized, and issues of encryption and language," said Hawes.