Accused drug trafficker appears in court, judge raises concerns about how long the case is taking

A FORMER Hobart man who was extradited from Queensland earlier this year on drug charges has appeared briefly in the Supreme Court in Hobart.

A Supreme Court judge has raised concerns about how long a drug trafficking case is taking.

A FORMER Hobart man who was extradited from Queensland earlier this year on drug charges has appeared briefly in the Supreme Court in Hobart.

Mitchell John Campbell, 30, of Noosaville, appeared this morning via video link from prison.

Mr Campbell is accused of trafficking cocaine and MDMA in Hobart between March 14 and May 8 this year and has pleaded not guilty to a string of related charges.

Justice Gregory Geason raised concerns about how long it was taking for the case to progress.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Linda Mason said there were two files before the court relating to Mr Campbell and the Crown had yet to decide whether to join the two on one indictment.

Justice Gregory Geason said the older of the two matters had “been before the court a lot of times” already.

Defence lawyer Andrei Slicer said Mr Campbell’s lawyer, Greg Richardson, was waiting for the Crown to decide how it would proceed with the case.

“It takes too long for all this to happen,” Justice Geason said.

He remanded Mr Campbell in custody until his next court appearance in November.

Mr Campbell was extradited in June.