Accused drug trafficking granny Eudoxia Pehlivanidis and her grandson Kosta Pehlivanidis appear in court

A court has heard a grandmother accused of trafficking millions of dollars of cocaine with her grandson has dementia, and “some aggression”.

A grandmother charged with attempting to traffic $3.2m worth of cocaine has missed her first court appearance because she has “significant dementia”, a court has heard.

Eudoxia Pehlivanidis, 82, and her grandson Kosta Pehlivanidis, 30, were both scheduled to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday in answer to a charge of attempting to traffic a large commercial quantity of cocaine.

Ms Pehlivanidis’ lawyer Yasmin McMahon told the court her client was unable to attend the hearing in person for medical reasons.

“She has significant dementia and it is difficult to get her into a setting like the court, there is some aggression and the like,” she said.

“I will in due course provide documentation to the court.”

Magistrate Ben Sale said defendants facing such serious charges were usually expected to attend court in answer to their bail, but he would not issue a warrant without a request from prosecutors.

Kosta Pehlivanidis leaves the Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: Jordanna Schriever

Eudoxia Pehlivanidis, 82, is facing drug trafficking charges. Picture: 7NEWS

A prosecutor told the court he did not take any issue with Ms Pehlivanidis’ non-attendance.

“I won’t issue a warrant to lie … I will excuse her today on the basis of medical grounds,” Mr Sale said.

Ms Pehlivanidis’ grandson attended the court in person and sat in the dock throughout the short hearing.

Prosecutors sought a six-month adjournment because the arrests came after a joint investigation between SA Police and their counterparts in New South Wales.

He said forensic procedures including DNA and drug analysis as well as evidence from listening devices would also take some time.

“It’s a slightly more complicated than what you might call an ordinary drug trafficking matter,” he said.

Police will allege they intercepted an 8kg package of cocaine – worth up to $3.2 million – bound for Ms Pehlivanidis’ home and replaced it with an inert substance before conducting a “controlled delivery”.

Eudoxia Pehlivanidis’ home in Flinders Park. Picture: Keryn Stevens

They allege Ms Pehlivanidis asked the delivery person to leave the package at the rear of her home, before police returned several hours later and found her with her grandson in a shed with the package, which had been opened.

At an earlier hearing in the District Court, prosecutors had sought to freeze Ms Pehlivanidis’ assets – including her house, aged-care pension and life savings – as possible proceeds of crime.

Ms McMahon asked police to provide her with evidence including Mrs Pehlivanidis’ record of interview with police and any footage of the bust within six weeks so she could provide it to experts preparing medical reports about her client.

Alex Scott, for Mr Pehlivanidis, did not oppose the adjournment.

Mr Sale adjourned the matter to October but said it could be called back on if police were yet to provide the requested footage.

Mr Pehlivanidis did not wear a face mask inside court, but donned one before leaving the courthouse. He did not comment.