The courts Couple deny LSD offences

Press, 13 June 1979, Page 4

The courts Couple deny LSD offences

Drug squad detectives and customs officers mounted a large-scale operation after a! young married woman went to the post office at the Waikuku store and picked up an envelope which earlier had been opened and found to contain KMM? tickets of LSD. Mr Justice Casey and a iury were told in the Supreme Court. Graham John Josephs, aged 27. a company director, and Wendy Dawn Josephs aged 26. have pleaded not guilty to two charges ot possession of LSD for supply at Lcithfield Beach on Februarv 2 and 3. Messrs G. K. Panckhurst and D. J. L. Saunders appear for the Crown, and Mr G. H. Nation for Graham Josephs, and Mr A. DeobhakH, of Auckland, for Wendy Josephs. The trial will finish today when the defence will open Opening the Crown case M Saunders 'aid that Gra ham and Wendy Josephs had been charged with offences' under the Misuse of Drugs Act relating to the possesion of Lvsergide which was more commonly known as LSD or acid. On Friday. February 2. detectives of the Christchurch drug squad went to th? Waikuku Beach store which also serves as a post office and took possession of a brown manila envelope addressed to "M. Watkins."

Ihe letter was seized undci a search warrant. When the env.Npi was opened at the C.l.b. office it' contained three sheets of patterned yellow paper and one strip of paper with a similar pattern on it. The detectives recognised the papers as containing LSD. and when counted there were HMtO tickets of the drug. The detectives put 40 tickets of LSD back into the envelope with two sheets ot blank paper similar to that, which had been removed., The letter was returned to the Waikuku store early next morning. February 3. A large-scale operation involving detectives and customs officers was put into operation. Mr and Mrs Stead, proprietors of the Waikuku store, were instructed to hand the letter over when a person requested it. About 9.30 a.m., Wendy Josephs arrived at the store and asked for her mail and was given some letters and postcards addressed to her home in Queen’s Avenue, Waikuku Beach. She asked: if there was any mail tor Watkins and was given the, brown envelope addressed to M. Watkins.” She said something to the effect: "That’s the one he’s been waiting tor. He will bi pleased.” Mrs Josephs was ‘tailed" bv detectives to the home of her separated husband. Graham Josephs, in Elizabeth

Square, l.eithfield Beach. Detectives, including Detective Sergeant M. Doig,; and customs officers, entered the house, identified themselves and made a search under the powers given to them under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The envelop?, which had come from the Waikuku store, was found lying open and empty on a bench top and Graham Josephs was standing in the room holding a small metal canister. When asked what it contained he replied: “That’s my slash.” A thermos flask was found containing pieces ol yellow paper which had been placed in the envelope in the C. 1.8. office. Customs officers found a container at the rear of the section which held 72 tickets of LSD. Wendy Josephs denied to Detective Sergeant Doig that she had picked up any mail for "Watkins,” but later admitted at the Central Police Station that she had but said she did not know what was in the envelope. Her fingerprints were found on the container at Graham Josephs’s home. Questioned by Detective Royce Jamieson. Graham Josephs said that he thought that someone must have left the letter addressed to "Watkins” at his house. He knew nothing about his wife collecting it, Mr Saunders said.