LSD, cocaine imports by Chch man

Press, 26 February 1981, Page 5

LSD, cocaine imports by Chch man

CPA Auckland A Christchurch man tadmitted importing about 2000 LSD tabs with a street value of $77,980, when he appeared in the District Court at Auckland yesterdav.

Before Judge Nicholson, Murray James Ritchie, aged 25, a self-employed painter, also admitted importing cocaine with a street value of about $lO,OOO and importing cannabis’leaf. He was remanded in custody to the High Court on March 20 for sentencing. Sergeant -R. G. Robertson said that for the last three years Christchurch police and the Customs Department had made inquiries into the activities of a Christchurch syndicate which had been involved in the import and of Class A and B drugs.

Ritchie’s travel movements were monitored. On January 21 he flew from Christchurch to Sydney. After staying in Australia for two days, he travelled to the United States. Ritchie was to return from Los Angeles to Auckland on February 8. He did not travel then, but forwarded his baggage. When he uplifted his bag-

gage it was searched/Richie at first was very confident and self-assured, but when he observed the thoroughness of the search, he had shown signs of nervousness, said Sergeant Robertson.

After a while he had said there were 12,000 doses of LSD in tablet form, an ounce and a quarter of cocaine and some cannabis concealed in a fish-shaped cutting board, a knife holder and a rolling pin in his suitcase.

' The items were made of laminated native timbers. They were professionally made and had labels indicating they had been manufactured by an Oregon firm. When cut open, the rolling pin contained LSD, the cutting board 31.2 grams of cocaine, while the knife holder contained LSD tablets and 19.2 grams of cannabis. - The sergeant said the total number of LSD tablets seized was 11,140.

He said Ritchie refused to implicate any other person or to say how finances or other arrangements were planned. He said the police acknowledged that there were others involved and he said that inquiries .were continuing.