Jurors' misbehaviour halts drugs trial in seventh week

A major drugs trial involving 13 accused and more than 20 lawyers was aborted yesterday because of inappropriate actions by two jurors.

The case, in the High Court at Auckland, was into its seventh week when Justice Geoffrey Venning stopped the trial.

Legal fees running into hundreds of thousands of dollars will have been incurred for the 22 lawyers involved in the case, including three prosecutors.

Operation Robot involved a variety of charges including conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, manufacturing, and conspiring to supply the drug. The trial was due to finish next week.

Justice Venning banned the media from giving detailed reasons for the discharge of the jury, because there is to be a retrial.

However, he said that it was because of the actions of two members of the jury during the course of the trial that it had to be aborted.

Justice Venning expressed his disappointment at their behaviour, despite repeated warnings about how to behave.

A date for the new trial will be set next week.