The court case that has dragged into its' second year has been adjourned to tomorrow.
The defendant Yoshi Kuni Ikeda, an Indonesian and Japanese national, is accused of smuggling 4 pistols and nineteen 0.35 calibre, fully-loaded magazines into PNG.
This case has become the centre of interest for customs and police in Lae after they believed they made a breakthrough with an international gun smuggling ring.
The 40-year-old appeared earlier this week after two years of police investigations.
It was alleged that Yoshi had smuggled the four pistols with ammunition in his locked and fireproof safe.
Police and customs intercepted the consignment at the Lae wharf and found the safe with no keys or combinations to unlock it.
The court was told that the police and customs officers cut open the safe the next day and found the weapons sealed in cardboard and enclosed in the safe.
On Monday, the case was brought before the court for the first time since 2012.
Police say import documents brought before the court had Yoshi’s name on it and were traced back to a gun dealer in the Philippines.
The case was adjourned yesterday after Yoshi’s lawyers asked for validation of the import documents and asked Magistrate Jeremiah Singomat to allow for a court submission.
Magistrate Jeremiah Singomat, who has been presiding over the case, will get submissions from the two attorneys representing customs and the defendant when the court resumes tomorrow.
This is to ensure that the evidence is valid and can be used against Yoshi.
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