Two-year drug trial ends, accused men choose silence

The two-year drug trial involving accused cocaine dealers Tariq Aaron and Leshaughn Smith has concluded.

The trial came to an end on Wednesday when the accused duo opted to ‘remain silent’ and not give any testimony in the case against them.

They were on trial for being in possession of 27.1 kilos of cocaine with intent to supply to another.

All that remains now is for the prosecution and defence attorneys to deliver final arguments, following which Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards will deliver a verdict.

Those final written arguments are to be submitted to the court by October 8.

The Crown’s case

Back in 2016, police allegedly found the cocaine at sea inside a strapless shopping bag that was floating near a vessel in which the men were travelling.

The prosecution claimed that the drugs belonged to the accused men because two straps believed to be those missing from the shopping bag containing the drugs were found aboard the accused men’s vessel.

During the trial, a US microscopist expert claimed that the bag and the straps had matched perfectly. The expert said he the bag and the strap were torn apart but their fibres were identical.

Defence attorney Patrick Thompson is representing Aaron while Valerie Stephens-Gordon represents Smith.