Pensioner charged with trafficking cocaine to plead not guilty

Roy Arbon, of Blaketown on the South Island's west coast, was due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court today. Photo / Supplied

A Kiwi pensioner charged with smuggling cocaine into Australia says he will plead not guilty.

Roy Arbon, of Blaketown on the South Island's west coast, was due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court today.

In a letter from the maximum security Casuarina Prison, he told the Greymouth Star he intended to enter a not guilty plea, which could lead to a trial by jury in the Supreme Court.

"How long that will take, who knows," he said.

He also said he would "never, ever" visit Western Australia again and would advise people not to visit. He considered it a police state and was treated as "guilty until you have proved your innocence".

At the time of writing, Mr Arbon did not have legal representation, however, there were moves this week to get top barrister Seamus Rafferty to represent him.

He did not discuss how he ended up with between 6kg and 8kg of cocaine in his bag -- the weight of two three-litre bottles of milk -- but has told friends in Greymouth that it was in the lining and he did not know it was there.