THE file of a businessman charged in relation to a shipment of cocaine allegedly sent from Brazil last year has been referred back to police for further investigations.
Prosecutor Eoghn Samisoni confirmed the State’s stance yesterday regarding the representations sent by lawyers for the accused Shonal Sharma.
Mr Sharma, 40, is charged with a count of importation of illicit drugs. His lawyers, Devanesh Sharma and Amrit Chand, had presented their respective representations seeking the dismissal of the charge before Magistrate Joseph Daurewa.
It is alleged that the consignment, addressed to Mr Sharma’s company, arrived in the country on October 25, 2025. The package, which was declared as a “smoke machine,” was flagged as suspicious after being detected by a drug detector dog during inspection.
When the package was opened, officers discovered the device contained a motherboard with a black cover. After opening the cover, a white powdered substance was found hidden inside.
Preliminary tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine, weighing approximately 640 grams. Following this discovery, a controlled delivery was conducted.
On October 30, a police team intercepted a vehicle at the company’s car park and arrested Mr Sharma, who was charged with importation of illicit drugs.
Mr Samisoni said the State would reconfirm its position after the investigation was completed.
Until then, Mr Sharma’s bail was extended and the case adjourned to June 9 for a pretrial conference.
