Asian police testify at N.Z. drugs trial

Press, 29 October 1981, Page 10

Asian police testify at N.Z. drugs trial

PA Auckland Thai and Singaporean drugs policemen have told a High Court jury in Auckland that they kept watch on the movements of a New Zealander who visited Thailand and Singapore in February. 1981.

The policemen were brought to New Zealand to give evidence in the trial of Colin James Prast. aged 41. a company director, and Glenda Faye Menzies, aged 26, a former bank teller, of importing and supplying heroin and morphine. One of the policemen. Captain Surachet Naiphan, of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police's narcotics unit, took a Buddhist oath before Mr Justice Holland and the jury. Captain Naiphan told the Court that on February 7 a New Zealand police representative in Bangkok had asked his unit to maintain surveillance on a man travelling under the name of Bruce Percy Charles Petty.

The man’s true name has been suppressed by the Court. He gave evidence earlier in the trial and admitted to travelling at different times under the names Wheatley. Bond, and Petty as well as his own. Chew Khai Chow, an assistant narcotics officer of the Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore, told the Court that he had followed Petty and had photographed him changing money, shopping, and visiting hotels in Singapore on February 5 and 6.

Mr Chew said that on the afternoon of February 7.

Petty had caught a flight to Bangkok and had returned to Singapore two days later. Captain Naiphan said that Petty had arrived at Bangkok 'Airport on February 7 and had been well dressed, with glasses and a beard and carrying a black briefcase. He (Captain Naiphan) had followed Petty’s taxi from the airport to the Bangkok Sheraton Hotel where he (Captain Naiphan) had managed to book into a room which had been capable of forming a suite with Petty’s room.

Petty had checked out of the hotel the next morning and had checked into the Peninsula Hotel nearby. He (Captain Naiphan) had been again able to obtain a room next to Petty’s. That evening he (Captain Naiphan) and other members of the unit had followed Petty's taxi round Bangkok's Chinatown where a Chinese man had been observed to ride with Petty for a time. Later the taxi had gone to the Patpong area of Bangkok where “it stopped many times like he was looking for someone."

At 10 a.m. the next day Petty had taken a taxi from the Peninsula Hotel to the Amrin Hotel. Petty had been carrying the briefcase. While the taxi had waited Petty had spoken to the doorman and had then returned to the Peninsula Hotel. Petty had stayed in his room until 2.30 a.m. and had then gone to Bangkok Airport and booked on a flight to Singapore.

He (Captain Naiphan) and a Custom officer had bodysearched Petty before he had left but had found no drugs.

The man who admitted travelling under the name of Petty had told the Court earlier that he had “felt uneasy" after having arranged with a taxi-driver to buy a kilogram of heroin.

Prast and Menzies have each denied charges of importing and conspiring to import heroin, a class-A controlled drug, two charges of supplying heroin at Auckland. and one charge of conspiring to supply’ heroin.

They have also denied two charges of importing morphine. a class-B controlled drug, one charge of conspiring to import morphine, one charge of supplying morphine and another charge of conspiring to supply morphine.

Prast has denied an additional charge of importing morphine.

Detective Inspector Paul Fitzharris, of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau at Police Headquarters. Wellington. told the Court that information gathered by the bureau indicated that morphine was available in SouthEast Asia for $4500 to $5OOO a kilogram.

The bureau had been informed that the drug could be diluted and sold on Auckland streets for $lOO,OOO to $150,000 a kilogram.