The lawyer of Australian couple John and Yvette Nikolic has told the fourth witness that if officers had followed procedures, then they would have strong evidence that someone from the yacht’s five member crew had handled the bag which contained cocaine.
Defence lawyer Wasu Pillay had asked Tomasi Drisi who is a Fiji Revenue and Customs Service Officer for the past 27 years if his officers had worn gloves while handling the bag which contained cocaine.
He provided photos taken at the site for the court, which showed officers handling the bag without gloves on.
Pillay had also asked if a finger print analysis or DNA evidence test was done on the bag.
Drisi had confirmed that none of this was done.
The officer had also confirmed that Nikolic had provided the correct declaration of the yacht’s voyage and the countries it had been to before arriving in Fiji.
The couple is jointly charged with two counts of possession of illicit drugs, one count of possession of arms and ammunition without a licence and two counts of unlawful importation of illicit drugs.
It is alleged that the couple had imported 12.9 kilograms of cocaine and 34.4 grams of methamphetamine with an estimated value of between $20 million to $30 million.
It is also alleged that they failed to declare that they had in their possession two pistols with 112 rounds of live ammunition.
