Crown completes heroin evidence

Press, 22 October 1986, Page 6

Crown completes heroin evidence

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Crown evidence was completed late yesterday in the trial of a fifth person charged in relation to the importation of 217 grams of heroin through Auckland airport on February 2. The accused, Robin Alfred Anderson, aged 34, a supervisor, has denied a charge of importing heroin. The Crown alleges he travelled to Thailand accompanied by a woman, and that the heroin was brought back, strapped to her body. Anderson is alleged to have aided and abetted her in bringing it back. The trial, before Mr Justice Holland and a jury, in the High Court began on Monday and will resume today. Defence counsel, Mr G. E. Langham, did not indicate yesterday whether evidence would be called. Mr D. J. L. Saunders appeared for the Crown. Two witnesses called by the Crown, and who had been dealt with previously by the Court for importing the drug, gave evidence yesterday. Each at first declined, but agreed after adjournments. Their names have been suppressed. One of these witnesses, a young woman, told of travelling to the East with Anderson in January. They travelled to Singapore, then Bangkok, and returned to New Zealand, by way of Sydney, on February 2. She knew, before the travel arrangements were made, that heroin was to be purchased, Anderson was present when discussions took place. In Bangkok, Anderson was present when two men gave us the heroin in a hotel room, she said. The witness recounted their handling of the heroin, including putting it into a cushion.

They travelled to Phuket, a holiday resort

in Thailand, leaving the heroin at their hotel in Bangkok. When they returned, Anderson assisted in taping the bags of heroin to her body. They then flew to Brisbane and Sydney, staying overnight in Sydney after going through customs. They removed the heroin from her body at a hotel they booked into, and the next day retaped it to her body and flew to Auckland. The witness said the atmosphere between the two was very tense at times while they were overseas, because of a disagreement over a matter in Christchurch. She said there was no disagreement between them as to the parts each had in the importation of the heroin.

After going through customs in Auckland she was met by a man (a principal in the drug importation). They went to a motel and returned to Christchurch about six days later. Anderson returned to Christchurch on the first flight after arriving in Auckland. The witness said she believed she would receive about $lO,OOO for importing the heroin. She did not know what Anderson was to get.

Some of the heroin was used on their return to the flat in Christchurch. Cross-examined, the witness said she was not a heroin addict before her arrest, but was a user. She used it the first and second week-ends after her return, and then practically every day.

She used heroin once before the overseas trip. She began injecting the drug after her return. She said she gave a principal $4OOO to pay her fare for the overseas trip. She was not sure of the date she gave him the money. The witness said she was aware that the princi-

pal in the importation had made a previous trip to the East, and brought back drugs. She was aware of it after his return from that trip. That was the first time she tried heroin. It was about a year before her trip to Thailand. The witness denied that, after she and Anderson had returned to the hotel in Bangkok, Anderson had handed her the pillow (containing the heroin) and told her “it’s yours,” and he wanted nothing more to do with it. She agreed she had told Anderson she would not carry the carry-bag containing the drug. She said she was to bring the heroin back to New Zealand taped to her body, that was all. The witness said two bags containing the heroin were taped to her body. There were three bags at the hotel in Bangkok. On return to New Zealand she and the principal had sampled some heroin from one of the bags. She denied that they had sold any of the heroin in Auckland. She also denied that she and the principal still had “stashed away somewhere in the North Island,” onethird of the quantity of heroin she had brought back. The principal had weighed and bagged the heroin after their return to Christchurch. Questioned about her having decided to give evidence after first refusing to do so, the witness said she had agreed to give evidence as she had been told she would be able to see the principal offender. She had refused earlier because she had not been allowed to see him. The witness was then asked about her having seen Anderson’s sister and former wife after he was arrested. She agreed she might have told them that

Anderson should be all right because he did not have much to do with it

The man, described as a principal in the importation, at first declined to give evidence, but also agreed to after an adjournment. He said, in crossexamination after giving evidence, that he had changed his mind partly after being told he would be able to see the previous witness after completing his evidence; and also after being assured that he would not incriminate himself in what he said. In evidence, he said Anderson’s role on the overseas. trip was to look after the previous witness, because she was a woman in a strange country and would be in possession of heroin. Anderson also was to make sure she did not use any of the drug, keep her out of trouble, and if she ran into problems or changed her mind about "wearing” the heroin back he was to make arrangements for an alternative way. They also discussed that if the previous witness was stopped at customs, Anderson was to contact the witness and a lawyer as soon as possible. Anderson was to receive $lO,OOO as a cash payment to help him clear up bills and things. Also, he was to be involved in a joint business venture with the witness. All the group involved, including Anderson, used some of the heroin that was brought back. Anderson “snorted” the drug. He very seldom injected it. Cross-examined, the witness agreed that Anderson had been under pressure from the rest of the group to inject the heroin. The pressure was in ribbing by the group. He agreed that on Anderson’s return the question of his going bankrupt was mentioned. He told Anderson he would have to do whatever was best for him. The witness agreed that Anderson’s role on the trip was to be as a "minder” to the previous witness. Anderson was to have possession of the heroin in Thailand and his companion was going to bring it through customs. He believed that plan changed slightly when they got to Thailand. The witness said the drug was stored in his car and he and Anderson were the only ones who knew its whereabouts. Asked about his evidence at the preliminary hearing that he did not tell anybody else where the drug was kept, the witness said he would have liked to keep Anderson out of it as much as possible. Asked if he had lied, he said he might not have been as frank as he could have been. He said he tried to minimise Anderson’s position in this enterprise. When asked if he had sold some of the heroin in Auckland, the witness said that was ridiculous. He also denied having stashed a third bag of the drug somewhere, and made up the bulk with glucose. He said he brought all three bags back to Christchurch, as arranged by the group. Quentin Maxwell Doig, a detective inspector, said he went with a search warrant to a flat, and saw Anderson there. Anderson agreed he had travelled to Thailand. Told that the police believed he and the woman witness had returned from Thailand with heroin, Anderson said he did not know anything about heroin. He said he had had a good holiday in Thailand, but did not bring heroin back. Later, in a written statement, he detailed events on the trip to Thailand, and said he had intended going there in any case, but had been pressured to help the woman (who accompanied him). He said he did not know where those involved got the money to purchase the heroin. He did not help finance it. He said he was concerned about being implicated and had worried about the heroin being in his bag. He had no intention of carrying it, and left it at the hotel when they went to Phuket. Each had gone their own ways, but had dined together. He had given the heroin to the woman when they returned to Bangkok and said it was all hers. He said he had wiped his hands of it at that stage and felt he had been used and did not want any part of it. /