Where the drugs were allegedly stashed on luxury yacht Shenanigans

NEWS Corp Australia can exclusively reveal where Fijian authorities claim John and Yvette Nikolic allegedly hid the huge haul of cocaine and methamphetamines before being arrested.

EXCLUSIVE

IT’S the unanswered question Australians have been asking about the story which has captivated the country for a fortnight: Where were the drugs allegedly stashed on the Nikolics’ yacht Shenanigans?

Today News Corp Australia can exclusively reveal the huge haul of cocaine and methamphetamines was allegedly hidden in both the left and right hulls of the catamaran.

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Former Melbourne horse trainer John Nikolic, 45, allegedly told authorities where to look for the rest of the drugs. Picture: Mark Stewart

Fiji Border Police Commanding Officer Pita Keni told News Corp authorities discovered the drugs in a compartment on the front, left hand side of the boat when it was raided in Denarau Marina on June 22.

Former Melbourne horse trainer John Nikolic, 45, then allegedly told authorities where to look for the rest of the drugs, and they were uncovered taped to part of the yacht frame on the forward, right side, he said.

“(The drugs were hidden in) a place you cannot reach, where hands cannot go,” Commanding Officer Keni said.

Nikolic later downed a toxic cocktail of liquid cocaine and methamphetamine from a flask and collapsed, he said.

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Nikolic downed a toxic cocktail of liquid cocaine and methamphetamine from a flask and collapsed, but has since recovered and faced court. Picture Gary Ramage

According to the Fiji Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) it is alleged 12.9 kilograms of cocaine and 34.4 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine tablets - with an estimated value of about $20 million – was found on Yvette and John Nikolic’s yacht Shenanigans.

It is also alleged they failed to declare one nine millimetre Smith and Wesson pistol with 62 rounds of ammunition and one revolver with 41 rounds of ammunition to customs officials.

Commanding Officer Keni said Fiji authorities raided the boat after tracking the yacht through the Pacific and becoming suspicious of the route it was taking and the amount of time it was spending in ports.

The Nikolics purchased the catamaran from a Florida boat broker for $335,000 late last year.

John and Yvette Nikolic travelled from Colombia in South America to Panama before setting sail across the Pacific. Picture: Facebook

Originally called No Name, the couple paid for repairs to be made to the yacht and renamed it Shenanigans, which means “secret or dishonest activity or manoeuvring . . . silly or high-spirited behaviour; mischief”.

Maps of their journey show that after buying the boat, the couple travelled from Colombia in South America to Panama before setting sail across the Pacific.

They visited a number of islands in French Polynesia, including circling Bora Bora, before heading towards Fiji.

They picked up new crew during the months-long voyage, advertising a number of times for experienced sailors.

John Nikolic is in custody in Lautoka men’s prison. Picture Gary Ramage

John Nikolic faced the Nadi Magistrates Court on Friday on drug and weapons charges, after making a remarkable recovery from the reported drug overdose which saw him cared for in Lautoka’s intensive care unit for days.

He is now in custody in Lautoka men’s prison.

His wife Yvette, 42, fronted Lautoka’s High Court on Wednesday on the same charges of possession and importation of illicit drugs and failure to declare guns and ammunition to Fiji customs authorities.

She is on remand in Lautoka Women’s Corrections Centre.

Yvette Nikolic is on remand in Lautoka Women’s Corrections Centre, and is set to face court on July 17. Picture: Mark Stewart

Both are scheduled to face court for further mention on July 17 but the State has been given until July 24 to file information and disclosures in Yvette’s case.

Catamarans are yachts with twin, parallel hulls.

Major drug busts have been made before with drugs having been concealed in catamaran hulls, some to Australia from South America, via Panama and the Pacific.

The family has engaged Gold Coast lawyer Jason Murakami to assist them.

Originally published as Where the drugs were allegedly stashed on luxury yacht Shenanigans