Kawerau drug raids accused maintain denials to charges

Kawerau drug-raids accused maintain denials to their respective charges when they appeared in Tauranga District Court on Friday. Photo/File

Forty-four people charged after police drug raids in Kawerau earlier this year were back in the Tauranga District Court yesterday for case review hearings.

The accused, who appeared before Judge Thomas Ingram either in person or via audio-visual link from prison, maintained their denials to a range of drug-related charges, relating to the supply or offering to supply substantial amounts of methamphetamine and/or cannabis.

Four defendants - Anahera Iopata, Jacqueline Parker, Raiha Tawera, and Irene Raki - have also denied charges of engaging in substantial money laundering offences.

All 44 defendants have elected to stand trial, but no trial dates have yet been set down.

Judge Ingram remanded all the defendants to next appear for pre-trial hearings on four separate hearing dates between November and December this year.

James Burgess, Chad Chisholm, Demelza Chisholm, Dovi Chisholm, Daniel Higson, Jason Iopata, Anahera Iopata, Dean Karaitiana, Noho Tuhaka, and Michael Wright will next appear on November 9.

Back in court on November 23 are Bradley Beard, Rangitupukiwaho Burgess, Michael Burrell, Inia Curry, Charles Drummond, Vania Drummond, Whitney Drummond, Mark Guptill, Arahia Parker, Jacqueline Parker, Trevor Parker, Leo Papanui and Samantha King.

Appearing on December 7 will be Nicky Chase, Tracey-Lee Enoka, Frank Milosevic, Slobodan Milosevic, Keith Pryor, Te Ohorere Milosovic, Irene Raki, Raiha Tawera, Lawrence Tekira, Nathan Waikato, Starlight Manuel, and Nikki Roddick.

Michael Herbert, Cameron Koopu, Aden Ohlson, Crystal Aroha Ohlson, Raymond Savage, Philip Tangira, Tania Tangira, Sharmin Te Rini, and Matthew Watson are due back in court on December 14.

Each of accused were arrested followed police raids at a number of properties in Kawerau in March as part of "Operation Notus" which centred around the Mongrel Mob in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The majority of defendants are from Kawerau, Whakatane and surrounding districts.

Operation Notus was a six-month police investigation into the Mongrel Mob Kawerau, which was allegedly supplying substantial amounts of methamphetamine and cannabis.

Two defendants previously refused ordinary bail sought electronically-monitored bail, and number other accused made applications to have their bail conditions relaxed.

Most were unsuccessful.

Judge Ingram refused electronically-monitored bail to Samantha King and also Frank Milosevic.

The latter faces 17 charges of either supplying substantial amounts of methamphetamine or cannabis and had been twice refused straight bail.

An arrest warrant was issued for Nicole Ryder, of Kawerau, who failed to appear at court.

She is jointly charged with supplying nearly 17 grams of P and 84 grams of cannabis.