Ourimbah: Tanika Kirsten Haines, 33, pleads not guilty to possessing stolen jewellery on M1
One of two interstate travellers stopped on the M1 has pleaded not guilty after allegedly being caught with $100,000 worth of stolen jewellery, including antiques, hidden in a car dashboard.
Central Coast
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A woman has pleaded not guilty after she and a man were stopped on the M1 freeway at Ourimbah with an estimated $100,000 worth of allegedly stolen jewellery hidden in the car’s dashboard.
Tanika Kirsten Haines, 33, of Surfers Paradise in Queensland, appeared via video link at Wyong Local Court on Wednesday, when her Legal Aid solicitor entered a not guilty plea to one count of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Police will allege in court Tuggerah Lakes Traffic and Highway Patrol Command officers were conducting high-visibility patrols of the Ourimbah area shortly before 8pm on July 29, when they stopped a vehicle on the M1 for random testing.
The male driver, 40, was subjected to a roadside drug test which allegedly returned a positive result for methylamphetamine.
The test will go for further forensic examination.
During a search of the vehicle, officers allegedly located and seized up to 200 stolen items inside the vehicle’s dashboard, including antique jewellery, gemstones, watches, and smelted precious metals.
The total value is believed to be more than $100,000.
Ms Haines was taken to Wyong Police Station, where she was charged and refused bail.
Her bail was also refused on Wednesday in court, where her case was adjourned until September 25.
The driver, identified in court documents as William Packer, 40, of Eaton in Western Australia, was taken to Wyong Police Station, where he was charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime and driving while disqualified.
He was refused bail and faced the same court on July 30, when he was remanded in custody to reappear on September 11.
Mr Packer is yet to enter any pleas.
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