charges
TWELVE men, including an
80-year-old, charged with
smuggling cannabis into the
country have appeared before
Southampton magistrates.
It follows a seizure of 14.5
tonnes of cannabis resin, estimated
by police to have a
street value of £41m on a boat
in the River Itchen.
Three Israelis, a
Yugoslavian, three Serbians,
two Ukrainians and three
Britons from Leicester
appeared over video link from
HMP Blakenhurst and HMP
Winchester.
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They spoke through interpreters
to confirmtheir names
and ages.
They were remanded for a
further hearing on May 22 to
commit them to Southampton
Crown Court on charges of
being concerned with the
importation of cannabis on or
around April 9. None made
bail applications.
Southampton Magistrates'
Court had refused jurisdiction
at an earlier hearing.
The Israelis, Moshe Kedar,
80, Yehezkel Srebro, 56, and
Mordchai Hersh, 66;
Yugoslavian Gorman Otovic,
53; Ukrainians Yaroslav
Kzenzovets, 34, and Sergiy
Khodos, 25; and Britons
Baljinder Singh Rai, 40, and
Mohinder Singh Rai, 54, have
given no indication of pleas.
Fellow Briton Anjum Nazir,
37; and Serbs Dragan
Stankovic, 53, Dusan
Mileusnic, 48, and Negovan
Jovanovic, 57, have pleaded
not guilty.
Serious Organised Crime
Agency (SOCA) officers carried
out the raid on the vessel
Abbira after it arrived in
Southampton on April 3. They
worked with police, HM
Revenue & Customs and overseas
law enforcement agencies.
The seizure is thought to be
one of the largest of its kind
in the UK.
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