Drug-case judge says no bail for Australian

A District Court judge has refused to bail a woman accused of drug trafficking because of the danger she will flee the country - a message he says police want serious offenders to hear.

In the Manukau District Court yesterday, Judge David Harvey refused bail for the Australian, caught with two others allegedly trying to traffic 500g of liquid cocaine through New Zealand in makeup bottles.

Police opposed Marie Cristia's bail, saying she had no ties to New Zealand and there was a risk she would flee the country.

The 43-year-old faces charges including importing cocaine, exporting cocaine and possession of cocaine for supply, with Sergio Seugel and his brother Dario.

The brothers will appear in court tomorrow.

"I must confess that although she has no previous record or previous convictions the lack of ties in this country and the possibility of flight risk in light of these serious charges is a matter of very serious concern," said Judge Harvey.

Even if an offender handed over their passport, he said, it did "not take much to obtain the travel documents needed" to leave the country.

He believed police were asking the court to send a message that if there was a serious drug crime with flight risk, then bail should be refused.

"It is absolutely true that drug offending is on the rise and the impact on the community is great," said Judge Harvey.

His comments came the same day the United Nations' International Narcotics Control Board said New Zealand was increasingly being used as a major transit area for drugs.

The bail decision also followed the highly publicised case last week of Jian Zhong Xie and Hong Quin Huang, who are believed to be trying to flee the country while facing 20 serious drug importation charges.

Xie disappeared in January while on bail.

His wife followed suit last month, after she learned that police planned to oppose her continuing bail because of her husband's disappearance.

After the Herald published a story about the couple, National Party leader Don Brash called for all foreigners charged with serious offences in New Zealand to be automatically denied bail.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said that would be "extraordinary and extreme" but he had no doubt the courts would take into account the frequency of skipping bail in recent times.

Xie and Huang, who allegedly imported enough pseudoephedrine to make up to $15 million worth of methamphetamine, or P, are two of seven people who have disappeared while on bail for serious drugs charges in Auckland in the past few years.

Two weeks ago student Man Fu Hui failed to appear for trial in the High Court at Auckland on charges relating to the importation and possession for supply of $4 million worth of Ecstasy and $300,000 worth of methamphetamine.

Despite his absence, the trial proceeded and he was found guilty.

Detective-Sergeant Mark Osbourne, from the Auckland Drug Squad, said most offenders bailed on serious drug charges had their passports seized as part of their bail conditions.

However, police believe several of the seven wanted people may have already skipped the country on false passports. The others, like Xie and Huang, were probably hiding out, planning their escape.