Car heiress in court

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 8

Car heiress in court

NZPA-Reuter Draguignan, France The West German car-] 'manufacturing heiress,] [Christina Von Opel, has; pleaded not guilty to] [charges that she belonged to! 'a drug ring that smuggled [l6OO kilograms of hashish [ into the French Riviera. ; She and her co-defendant,] her former boyfriend.! Michael Karg, said they had] no idea how the drugs found] their way into three Riviera! villas connected with the narcotics ring. Ms Von Opel, Karg, and [six other defendants, four of! them German and two Lebanese, are accused of having smuggled the drugs from Lebanon aboard a yacht

[belonging to Baron Ostman [Von der Leye, a West Ger- ] man former politician. Von, [der Leye had denied in- ] volvement, and charges [against him have been [dropped for lack of evidence. The defendants were arrested in June, 1977. i “Do you deny every-! [thing?” asked the judge at the criminal court in Drag[uignan, France. “Yes” she ! replied. “I wasn’t aware of anything.” How then did the drugs] come to be in her posses-' [sion, the judge asked, and ‘she answered in a soft voice: “I had some for my own personal use. because at the time 1 smoked hashish,

[and that’s why about 22 grams were found at my [place in Saint Moritz.” ] The judge said he was [talking about 1600 kilograms [of hashish found in Saint [Tropez. “There’s a bit of a ■difference,” he said. Replied Ms Von Opel: “A ] lot of friends came and went [at my place in Saint Tropez. [Everyone had a key. I knew j nothing of what was going on.” The trial was adjourned [until tomorrow. ! Proceedings have been ‘postponed because of a mental depression Ms Von Opel suffered after her arrest, and because of testimony bearing on the trial that became available at the last minute.