charges TWELVE men, including an 80-year-old, charged with smuggling cannabis into the country have appeared before Southampton magistrates.

It follows a seizure of 14.5 tonnes of cannabis resin, estimated by police to have a street value of £41m on a boat in the River Itchen.

Three Israelis, a Yugoslavian, three Serbians, two Ukrainians and three Britons from Leicester appeared over video link from HMP Blakenhurst and HMP Winchester.

They spoke through interpreters to confirmtheir names and ages.

They were remanded for a further hearing on May 22 to commit them to Southampton Crown Court on charges of being concerned with the importation of cannabis on or around April 9. None made bail applications.

Southampton Magistrates' Court had refused jurisdiction at an earlier hearing.

The Israelis, Moshe Kedar, 80, Yehezkel Srebro, 56, and Mordchai Hersh, 66; Yugoslavian Gorman Otovic, 53; Ukrainians Yaroslav Kzenzovets, 34, and Sergiy Khodos, 25; and Britons Baljinder Singh Rai, 40, and Mohinder Singh Rai, 54, have given no indication of pleas.

Fellow Briton Anjum Nazir, 37; and Serbs Dragan Stankovic, 53, Dusan Mileusnic, 48, and Negovan Jovanovic, 57, have pleaded not guilty.

Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) officers carried out the raid on the vessel Abbira after it arrived in Southampton on April 3. They worked with police, HM Revenue & Customs and overseas law enforcement agencies.

The seizure is thought to be one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

11:57am Friday 9th May 2008

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