Drugs stash allegedly found in John Nikolic’s prison van
Accused drug smugglers John and Yvette Nikolic are soon to face day three of their trial in Fiji following yesterday’s reports that illicit substances were found in the back of the prison truck transporting the former racehorse trainer.
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Courtroom two, where the trial of accused Aussie drug smugglers John and Yvette Nikolic is being held in Suva High Court, has been cleared this morning as cocaine parcels allegedly found on the Nikolics’ yacht Shenanigans were opened in the courtroom for lawyers and Justice Daniel Goundar to inspect.
The trial is set to resume shortly, following the recovery of an assessor who had fallen ill yesterday, causing the trial to be temporarily suspended.
The Nikolics arrived in the prison truck following heavy rain this morning, with Yvette smartly dressed in a black dress and jacket and her hair in a braid.
The accused pair were again supported in court by John’s brother, jockey Danny Nikolic, and his partner Tania Hyett.
The heavy rain and resulting flood waters in and around Suva have resulted in an outbreak of a potentially fatal disease called leptospirosis, which has already claimed four lives and made more than 65 people ill.
Health authorities have today warned Suva residents to stay away from still flood water, which could be contaminated with the bacteria and to wash their hands regularly with soap. The disease enters the body through the skin, eyes, nose or mouth.
NIKOLIC TRIAL: DAY TWO
Drugs were reportedly found in the back of the prison truck transporting Mr Nikolic from day two of his own trial, in a day of high drama at the Suva High Court.
Cocaine bars, allegedly found aboard his yacht Shenanigans last year, were also displayed in the courtroom, while one of the court’s three assessors suddenly became ill, seeing the trial temporarily suspended.
Former Australian racehorse trainer John and his wife Yvette — who is also on trial in Fiji — have pleaded not guilty to drug importation, possession and weapons charges.
After the court had been adjourned and John Nikolic was escorted to the open-back prison truck, guards and police descended on the vehicle and seized contraband — believed to be drugs — from one of the prisoners.
A prison source said he did not believe the contraband belonged to John Nikolic and there is no suggestion he was in any way involved.
Earlier in the day the 13 plastic-wrapped cocaine bars allegedly found by Fiji authorities on June 22 during a raid on the Nikolics’ yacht Shenanigans at Denarau Marina were brought into the court, in large brown paper bags.
The cocaine bars were then taken out of the paper bags and passed through the courtroom by gloved prosecutors and clerks, to the witness box, where they were stacked up in front of chief customs officer of the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) officer Tomasi Drisi — who oversaw the raid — for identification purposes.
The large, blue, rectangular, zip-up plastic bag in which 10 of the cocaine bars were allegedly stashed in a hatch under the yacht’s deck was also produced to the court.
The Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions alleges that upon discovery of the blue bag, John Nikolic told authorities where they would find another three bars of cocaine hidden inside the hatch.
Those bars, duct-taped together, were also presented to the court.
Giving evidence for the prosecution, Mr Drisi said John Nikolic said “I know what you’re looking for” after the first lot of cocaine was discovered, and pointed out the location of the other cocaine bars, before asking to talk to his wife Yvette, who he said knew nothing about the drugs.
It was after that private conversation that he asked to go to the washroom on the yacht and allegedly attempted suicide by overdosing, the court has previously heard.
“Following the drama of the attempted suicide”, authorities searched Shenanigans again and found more drugs, money and weapons hidden in an interior wall of the yacht, the court was told.
Mr Drisi said Shenanigans was on the radar of Fiji authorities because it had taken the same route as another boat called Friday Freedom which smuggled drugs to Australia in 2011.
The short amount of time the Nikolics’ had requested to stay in Fiji was also very unusual for “the yacht season” and had aroused suspicion, as had their failure to list a home address in Australia when asked to do so and the fact Shenanigans had not been identifiable by satellite until it was very close to Denarau Marina.
“These are some of the indicators we picked up and delivered a level of uncertainty,” Mr Drisi said.
In his opening address yesterday, lead prosecutor Lee Burney said the Nikolics had presented to the outside world the perception that “they were living dream, embarking on an adventure of a lifetime”, having sailed from Colombia and through the Pacific, but in reality “were secretly involved in the wicked, international drugs trade”.
The trial before Justice Daniel Goundar will continue if and when the ill assessor recovers as evidence cannot be heard without all three assessors being present.
The judge will ask for the assessors’ opinion on the case before he or she delivers a verdict.
Originally published as Drugs stash allegedly found in John Nikolic’s prison van
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