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No more 'Granite' drug lab arrests expected
No more arrests are now expected from the police’s Operation Granite P-lab raids on June 9, and two more of the accused were released on bail after hearings in the Christchurch District Court today.
After the initial raids and arrests in Christchurch, Ashburton, and Rangiora, the police spoke of searching for six more drug suspects.
Eleven people have now been charged, and crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said at today’s hearing that although more people may be spoken to for the inquiry, no more arrests were expected.
Those released today have already been in custody on remand for about five weeks with the police and the crown opposing their release on bail.
Judge Gary MacAskill said as he released two of them today: “It may be that people think that those facing serious drug offences should be remanded in custody, but that is not what the Bail Act says and judges must apply the law.”
The first to be granted bail was 28-year-old real estate agent and mother of a three-year-old daughter, Gemma Louise Aitken.
She will have to live at a specified rural address at Dromore, near Ashburton, abide by a curfew from 9pm to 7am each night, report twice a week to the Ashburton Police Station, surrender her passport and not apply for any travel documents, and not contact or associate with any of her 10 alleged co-offenders. The police already have the passport.
Jason Donald Box, an unemployed 39-year-old, was released on bail to live at a specified Woolston address and abide by the same conditions. He will report twice a week to the Christchurch police.
Judge MacAskill warned both of them that any breaches of their bail conditions would result in remands in custody.
A bail application by a third accused was to be heard later.
All of those arrested are being remanded to a post-committal conference on September 24, when they will be told if they have been committed for trial and given a date for a pre-trial conference.
Extra time before the next stage of the court process has been granted for the investigation team to analyse 20,000 text and phone messages gathered during the interception phase of the operation, which ended with police swoops on alleged secret drug laboratories in Christchurch, Ashburton, and Rangiora on June 9.
