An elderly woman from Adelaide accused of attempting to traffic a large amount of cocaine failed to appear in court due to dementia.
82-year-old Eudoxia Pehlivanidis’ lawyer cited her significant dementia as the reason for her absence.
Ms Pehlivanidis was arrested earlier this year during a police investigation into the attempted importation of 8 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $3.2 million.
She was subsequently arrested, along with her 30-year-old grandson, Kosta Pehlivanidis, on charges related to the attempted importation of 8 kilograms of cocaine.
Following her arrest, Ms Pehlivanidis spoke to 7 News and denied any involvement in drug trafficking. She claimed to have never used or even touched drugs in her life.
“Never! Never smoked, never nothing,” she said.
According to a report by ABC, during the court hearing, the prosecution requested an additional six months to analyse evidence from both New South Wales Police and South Australian Police including drug analysis and DNA-related evidence.
“There’s also likely to be drug analysis and DNA related evidence to assist,” a prosecutor stated.
Ms Pehlivanidis’ defence lawyer also requested police footage before their next appearance to assist in writing her medical reports explaining that the footage may be helpful in the process as Ms Pehlivanidis has trouble in settings like court due to her illness.
“There’s some aggression and the like,” the lawyer said.
The case has garnered attention due to Pehlivanidis age and medical condition.
Both Ms and Mr Pehlivanidis will remain on bail to face court again in October.
