THE High Court in Suva has ordered the State to re-test and re-weigh 18kilograms of cocaine tendered as exhibits in the trial of convicted Colombian national Aiden Alec Hurtado.
The order was issued by Justice Thushara Rajasinghe when the matter was heard on October 9 to ascertain whether the drugs had been destroyed following the conclusion of the case.
The State informed the court that the drug exhibits have not been destroyed and currently remain in police custody.
Following the confirmation, Justice Rajasinghe directed the State to re-test the contents and verify the total weight of the seized cocaine before the court considers issuing further orders regarding their disposal.
Hurtado was convicted in 2017 for unlawfully importing 18 kilograms of cocaine into Fiji in 2014.
He was initially acquitted in 2015 but was later retried and convicted after the State successfully appealed the decision.
He was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of 15 years, which was later adjusted to 13 years and 11 months’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 years and 11 months to account for time spent in remand.
The matter has been adjourned to October 23 for mention to check on the results.
