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An accused New Zealand drug smuggler says he brought ephedrine into Australia not to make illicit drugs but to cure a sick, rare albino buffalo calf he wanted to sell to an Indonesian sultan.
Richard Thomas Gordon, 41, appeared in the Perth Magistrate's Court yesterday where he also said he had skipped bail on November 28 because bushfires in NSW threatened his unique herd of albino buffalo and he had to walk them out of harm's way.
"It took me eight weeks," he told the court via video link from prison.
Gordon was arrested, allegedly carrying the drug, after arriving in Australia from Bali.
- Staff reporters, NZPA
