Auckland’s Bastion Point was used by an international drug syndicate as a place to hide bags of cash and cocaine, the Crown claims.
Aleksandr Cherushev, Patryk Lukasz Lukasik and Ryszard Wilk have denied a string of charges including importing and supplying cocaine, conspiracy to supply and money laundering, and are on trial at the High Court at Auckland.
In his opening address, Crown prosecutor Sam Teppett said sailor Cherushev brought 4kg of cocaine into the country onboard the ship Discovery Bay, which visited New Zealand in September 2016.
Teppett said Ryszard and his son Ralph Alan Wilk had arrived in the country from Poland in the same month, telling Customs officers they were here on holiday.
Patryk Lukasz Lukasik denies importing cocaine, and money laundering charges.
However, Teppett claimed the pair were here to pick up cocaine and sell it on.
He said the pair messaged Cherushev on the morning of September 6, when the ship was about 60km off the coast of Auckland.
He said text messages intercepted by police showed Lukasik was helping to arrange a meeting between Cherushev and Ryszard and Ralph Wilk.
Aleksandr Cherushev is accused of importing and supplying cocaine.
Cheushevs ship, Discovery Bay, had to come New Zealand from Panama and docked in Auckland at about 8am.
Teppett said Cherushev met the pair in the city sometime later and handed over at least 4kg of cocaine.
Later they met at a New World supermarket car park in Mt Maunganui.
Teppett said Ryszard and Ralph Wilk sold 2kg of cocaine then left the country. They returned two months later to selling the rest of their stash, he said.
Ryszard Wilk (centre) is accused of importing and supplying cocaine and conspiracy to import MDMA.
He told the jurors police intercepted a call between Ryszard Wilk and an unknown man during which they discussed selling two cars. Teppett claimed that was coded drug talk for cocaine.
But they also had stacks of cash to move, he said.
When Ralph Wilk left New Zealand, Customs officers searched his luggage and found $40,000 hidden inside, concealed in noodle packets.
His father Ryszard Wilk remained in the country where he met two men Teppett described as money launderers.
He said detectives covertly searched Ryszard Wilks hotel room and found large amounts of cash hidden in locked suitcases.
On a later trip to New Zealand in June 2017, Wilk was covertly followed by police to Bastion Pt at rakei.
Police officers searched the area and found half-buried empty black rubbish bags and a white rubbish bag with 3.6g of cocaine inside. Further covert searches of his hotel room revealed more cash.
Teppett said Lukasik was also involved in moving money, sending $26,000 to his father overseas.
When he too was caught with $40,000 in his luggage, he reportedly told police he was told by unnamed people to carry the money. He said if you know what life is like living in Belfast, theres some bad Irish people, the court heard.
Teppett said Lukasik told authorities he had a debt to pay but did not say to whom.
Cherushev was arrested almost three years later, in 2019, when he visited New Zealand onboard another ship that docked in Nelson.
The Crown claims the men hid drugs at Aucklands Bastion Point.
Ralph Wilk has already admitted charges of supplying cocaine and money laundering.
Ryszard Wilks lawyer, Annabel Ives, said only 3.6g of cocaine was found by detectives.
Addressing Ralph Wilks guilty plea, she told jurors: Do not let the sins of the son impact on the father. There is no guilt by association, even familial association.
Lukasiks lawyer Lorraine Smith did not go into details of the evidence but reminded jurors they had to be sure of guilt beyond reasonable doubt before entering convictions.
Cherushev’s lawyer Ron Mansfield asked where is the evidence? and said the phone that police relied on for evidence was never found in his clients possession.
He said there was a chasm between the Crowns theory and the actual evidence.
The trial before Justice Tracey Walker and a jury is set to hear from 46 witnesses over four weeks.