KEY POINTS:
Police are being challenged to prove whether it was the drug P that was found at the address of Millie Elder, amid revelations her co-accused is the son of a Headhunters gang member.
Four days after the arrest of the daughter of broadcaster Paul Holmes, her lawyer claims
police may have confused the pain relief pill oxycodone for the drug pure methamphetamine when they raided Elder's Auckland apartment on Wednesday.
Elder is facing possession for supply charges that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Police have not revealed the exact quantity of what was seized at Elder's Dockside Lane apartment, but have confirmed it was in excess of five grams, the minimum amount required for someone to be charged with possession for supply.
In a text to the Herald on Sunday only days before the arrest, Elder confirmed her romantic involvement with Auckland kickboxer Connor Morris, who is also charged with possession of methamphetamine for supply. The couple were planning a trip together next month to Thailand.
Morris' father is a patched Headhunters member who was at court for his son's appearance on Thursday. Later that day he confirmed he had known Elder for "a little while", describing the former model as "cool".
Asked how often he saw her, he said "most days".
He also said Morris had competed in an organised "Fight Club" run by the gang. At the time of his arrest he had been going to "Fight School" but in light of the charges he was facing that would have to be put on hold, his father said.
Elder's lawyer Chris Comeskey told the Herald on Sunday yesterday there was a question mark hanging over what exactly police had found at the address. Forensic analysis would hopefully provide some definitive answers that could impact on the nature and seriousness of the charges Elder was facing, Comeskey said.
He was reluctant to elaborate further, but it is understood there is speculation that only a small amount of methamphetamine was found at the address. One source said the bulk of what was seized was believed to be crushed oxycodone, a synthetic opiate prescribed for pain relief associated with fractures, arthritis and cancer.
The drug can also be crushed and snorted producing a high for users.
The two drugs are apparently very similar looking.
Comeskey also raised concerns about what evidence police had produced to the court to obtain the search warrant for Elder's apartment.
He said it appeared on face value to be a "let's-have-a-look-see warrant" rather than a warrant obtained with evidence pointing to illegal activity at a particular address.
"The police pull these warrants out of the filing cabinet when they feel like it," he said.
There were also the usual questions around "ownership" of what had been seized from the address and these were likely to be tested in court.
Police were unavailable for comment yesterday, but Detective Sergeant Tim Chao was involved in the raid, which he said was routine other than the celebrity of the accused.
"We were executing a warrant, we went in, searched the place and that was it," he told the Dominion Post.
The police inquiry was ongoing, although Chao said no other drugs were discovered at the apartment.
Comeskey has spoken to Paul Holmes, who declined to comment yesterday. Elder did not return Herald on Sunday calls.
Ironically, the morning Elder appeared in court, Holmes was speaking on his Newstalk ZB radio show about the "scourge of P", which was a factor in the death of undercover cop Sergeant Don Wilkinson.
In March, Elder was sentenced to 12 months' supervision after admitting three drugs charges.
Under the conditions of her sentence, Elder was supposed to report to a probation officer weekly.
As part of her new bail conditions, Elder is on a 7pm to 7am curfew and is required to report to the Auckland Central police station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Elder and Morris will reappear in the Auckland District Court on September 23.
