DRUG-CASE JUDGE SAYS NO BAIL FOR AUSTRALIAN

A District Court judge has refused to bail a woman accused of drug
trafficking because of the danger she will flee the country - a
message he says police want serious offenders to hear.

In the Manukau District Court yesterday, Judge David Harvey refused
bail for the Australian, caught with two others allegedly trying to
traffic 500g of liquid cocaine through New Zealand in makeup bottles.

Police opposed Marie Cristia's bail, saying she had no ties to New
Zealand and there was a risk she would flee the country.

The 43-year-old faces charges including importing cocaine, exporting
cocaine and possession of cocaine for supply, with Sergio Seugel and
his brother Dario.

The brothers will appear in court tomorrow.

"I must confess that although she has no previous record or previous
convictions the lack of ties in this country and the possibility of
flight risk in light of these serious charges is a matter of very
serious concern," said Judge Harvey.

Even if an offender handed over their passport, he said, it did "not
take much to obtain the travel documents needed" to leave the country.

He believed police were asking the court to send a message that if
there was a serious drug crime with flight risk, then bail should be refused.

"It is absolutely true that drug offending is on the rise and the
impact on the community is great," said Judge Harvey.

His comments came the same day the United Nations' International
Narcotics Control Board said New Zealand was increasingly being used
as a major transit area for drugs.

The bail decision also followed the highly publicised case last week
of Jian Zhong Xie and Hong Quin Huang, who are believed to be trying
to flee the country while facing 20 serious drug importation charges.

Xie disappeared in January while on bail.

His wife followed suit last month, after she learned that police
planned to oppose her continuing bail because of her husband's disappearance.

After the Herald published a story about the couple, National Party
leader Don Brash called for all foreigners charged with serious
offences in New Zealand to be automatically denied bail.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said that would be
"extraordinary and extreme" but he had no doubt the courts would take
into account the frequency of skipping bail in recent times.

Xie and Huang, who allegedly imported enough pseudoephedrine to make
up to $15 million worth of methamphetamine, or P, are two of seven
people who have disappeared while on bail for serious drugs charges
in Auckland in the past few years.

Two weeks ago student Man Fu Hui failed to appear for trial in the
High Court at Auckland on charges relating to the importation and
possession for supply of $4 million worth of Ecstasy and $300,000
worth of methamphetamine.

Despite his absence, the trial proceeded and he was found guilty.

Detective-Sergeant Mark Osbourne, from the Auckland Drug Squad, said
most offenders bailed on serious drug charges had their passports
seized as part of their bail conditions.

However, police believe several of the seven wanted people may have
already skipped the country on false passports. The others, like Xie
and Huang, were probably hiding out, planning their escape.