Big amount of heroin in flat

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 4

Big amount of heroin in flat

i When a man attempted to (purchase empty gelatine capsules, a Linwood Avenue chemist became suspicious and reported the matter to the police, who discovered heroin and hashish worth several thousand dollars at the man's flat, Mr Justice Casey and a jury were told in the Supreme Court yesterday. After a retirement of two ' hours, a jury found Stephen Frank Coward, aged 25, a meat carter, guilty on a charge of possession ot (heroin for sale on December 11, 1975. I Coward was remanded in; (custody to July 30 for sentence. He was found not guilty on (a charge of possession ot (cannabis for sale. Mr N. W. Williamson appeared for the Crown and Mr iC. A. McVeigh for Coward. |who pleaded not guilty tol (both charges. The defence. ; called no evidence. Mr Williamson, in his; opening address, said (chemists had been asked tol (pay particular attention to ;any persons who wanted toj (buy empty gelatine capsules. On December 11, Coward (attempted to purchase cap(sules from two chemists in (Linwood Avenue, one of 'whom reported the matter to the police after taking the number of his car. On the afternoon of the same day the police went to a house in Major Hornbrook Road, where Coward and other persons were living. As the police arrived, a man named Mauger was seen to run from the lounge to the (toilet and throw something (out the window. Coward also went to that area of the house. The police found that the object thrown out of the toilet window was a package wrapped in a plastic bread wrapping containing 78 capsules of heroin and a substantial quantity of cannabis in the form of hashish in small packets of tin foil (known as “deals.” A search of the house re-( 'vealed another form of cannabis, known as New Zealand green, some of w'hich (was found in the room oc-| cupied by Coward. A total of 36 plastic bags were discovered in a blue, plastic rubbish bag found beneath a diesel oil storage; tank on the outside of the; house. Cannabis wrapped in tin foil was found near the front door and a box of I empty gelatine capsules were I found under a wooden ter-j race. The other half of the plas-i

tic bread wrapping around the parcel thrown out of the toilet window was discovered in Coward’s room When questioned b> the police. Coward admitted that he used cannabis, but denied any knowledge of the large quantity of drugs found in the house, apart from the amout found in his room. At first Coward denied 'going to the chemist shops, but later admitted that he had been there to purchase a birthday present for his mother. Mr Williamson said. In his address to the >ury. Mr McVeigh said that Coward was not found in physical possession of the heroin and cannabis and there was no proof that he had ever exercised any control over the drugs. The drugs could have been the property of any of the persons living in the flat. The attempted purchase of gelatine capsules was not evidence that Coward was a drug dealer, as the chemist had said that they could be used for a number of purposes.