Couple to stand trial on drugs charges

Press, 27 April 1989, Page 24

Couple to stand trial on drugs charges

An Afganistan-born couple living in Christchurch have been committed for a High Court trial on drugs charges, including conspiring to import heroin into New Zealand.

Haju Mohammed Daoud Nabi, aged 40, a slaughterman, and Shima Nabi, aged 32, a housewife, denied the charges at the end of the preliminary hearing before Messrs D. Wilson and J. B. Andersen, Justices of the Peace.

The couple, represented by Mr Stan. Barker, were released on High Court bail awaiting trial. Mr Brent Stanaway, for the Crown, produced written statements from 19 witnesses. Another witness gave evidence in person. Haju Nabi is accused of having hashish for supply, offering to supply hashish to Joseph Belcher, conspiring with Niaz Ali Farooqui, of Pakistan, to import hashish and heroin, and conspiring with his wife and another to supply hashish.

Shima Nabi is accused of having hashish for supply, conspiring with her husband and another to supply hashish, supplying Gavin Robert Sykes with hashish, supplying and

offering to supply Stephen Fairless with hashish, and conspiring with her husband and Farooqui to import heroin and hashish.

Sykes, aged 34, represented by Mr Greg Trainor, was committed for trial on two charges.

He is accused of possessing hashish for supply and conspiring with the Nabis to supply hashish. Sykes also denied the charges and was released on High Court bail. Mr Stanaway, in outlining the Crown case, said the police conducted an electronic listening operation, called Operation Hound, between August 19 and September 16, 1988, and November 7 and December 12, 1988. “This operation consisted of an interception device being placed on the telephone number of the two accused at their home in Wainoni Road.”

Mr Stanaway outlined telephone calls recorded by the police. On August 23 a person telephoned Sykes from the Nabi home requesting money on behalf of Shima Nabi. The next day the same person made two further calls to Sykes asking for the money, saying if it was not available the

hashish should be returned.

Sykes replied the hashish had been broken up for distribution.

Mr Stanaway alleged the word “book” was used during the conversations as a code word for hashish.

As a result of the calls the police searched Sykes’ Buckleys Road home where they found 16 small hashish blocks weighing a total of llg. Mr Stanaway outlined a series of telephone conversations later in the year involving Haju Nabi, Shima Nabi and Farooqui, who lived in Pakistan. He claimed the code names “black shirts” and “white silky shirts” were used during the calls. These allegedly stood for hashish and heroin.

In one call Haju Nabi allegedly told Farooqui that he had tried the black shirts and asked for a specimen of the white silky shirts. He allegedly indicated he could send $lOOO or $2OOO. Nabi discussed travelling to Pakistan with a friend who could be trusted and had the ability to get the drugs through customs. Nabi travelled to Pakis-

tan on November 19. Two days later Shima Nabi telephoned Farooqui who indicated Haju Nabi had not arrived. On November 24 there was a further conversation, with Farooqui saying he was becoming nervous about Haju Nabi being so late.

Haju Nabi returned to Christchurch on December 3.

Nine days later there was another telephone conversation between Farooqui and Haju Nabi in which there was talk of obtaining 2000 black shirts. This, alleged the Crown, stood for 2kg. Mr Stanaway outlined further telephone calls in which it is alleged Haju Nabi offered to supply hashish to Joseph Belcher, and Shima Nabi offered to supply it to Stephen Fairless.

On January 18 the police searched the couple’s home, finding four hashish blocks weighing a total of 109 g in a kitchen container, a lOg block in a bedroom and seven blocks together weighing 199 g buried in the garden. The police allege the recovered hashish was worth $12,000.