Pair ran drugs factory in home, court told

A huge operation manufacturing hundreds of thousands of dollars of methamphetamine and heroin for supply was run from a suburban Hamilton home, a court has heard.

Richard and Nadia McFall's house in Nikau Place was the centre for a mass drug-making venture involving people from Hawkes Bay to Auckland, the High Court at Hamilton heard yesterday.

It was a conspiracy which netted those involved huge profits, said Crown Prosecutor Philip Crayton in his opening address to the jury.

Yesterday, Richard McFall was present for the start of the trial but his heavily pregnant partner Nadia was still on the run from police after skipping bail last week.

McFall had jumped bail but was arrested by police at the weekend.

Police are also still searching for three others, Graham Winn, Peter Reyland and Jamie Grace, who have also jumped bail.

Justice Priestley has ruled the trial, which has been allotted 16 weeks, will go ahead without them but cautioned the jury not to place prejudice on those who had not turned up in court.

In court was Gary Loveland, 40, Ian Anderson, 40, Thomas Allmark, 26, Nicholas Cartwright, 31, Erana Moore, 56, Joseph Turner, 31, Maramara Moore, 28, Joseph Moore, 33, Koro Tata, 35, Samuel Howe, 45, Emily Anania, 48 and McFall, 35.

The group are being represented by 21 lawyers.

All have pleaded not guilty to a total of 117 charges between them, including manufacturing methamphetamine and heroin for supply and possession of firearms and explosives.

Crown Prosecutor Philip Crayton said the McFall's home was the hub of the operation, which ran from May 2001 until July 2003.

"As part of [the police investigation], listening devices were placed in 18 Nikau Place, the home of the McFall family that was at this time also the centre of this conspiracy."

Mr Crayton said hundreds of hours of conversation was intercepted by police and the relevant surveillance filled 2700 pages.

Mr Crayton's opening was expected to continue today.