Reward offered for cold case info

New evidence linking a missing New Zealand woman with a notorious 1970s drug syndicate has prompted Australian police to reopen her case after 30 years.

Police have offered a $NZ125,000 reward to reboot the cold case murder investigation, the Sunday Star Times reported.

Marion Sandford disappeared from her Sydney home on January 24, 1980.

The 23-year-old left a note for her brother, Peter, to say she was with some friends and would return in a few days. She has not been seen since.

Mr Sandford, who now lives in Wellington, said as time went by, he knew his sister would never be coming home.

At the time of her disappearance, Ms Sandford had been involved with drugs in New Zealand and Australia.

Last week, New South Wales police spokesman Sergeant Robert George said: "We have since uncovered information to suggest she may have been looking to get involved in the importation side of things, as a drug courier."

Police have not ruled out a possible link with the Mr Asia drug syndicate, led by New Zealand-born career criminal Terry Clark, which in the 1970s trafficked heroin into New Zealand, Australia and Britain and was believed to be behind several murders.

At the time of Ms Sandford's disappearance, Clark was behind bars in England for the murder of a criminal colleague, but the syndicate was still active.

Mr George said police hoped the announcement of the reward money for information relating to Ms Sandford's "presumed murder" might motivate someone to tell police what happened to her.

- NZPA