Drugs case linked to Smiley Culture stopped (From Your Local Guardian)

Drugs case linked to Smiley Culture stopped

4:37pm Friday 17th February 2012 in Top Stories By Hannah Williamson

The drugs smuggling trial linked to the death of reggae star Smiley Culture has been abandoned due to poor video link.

Key witnesses for the prosecution were due to give evidence to the court via a link in Barbados, but the poor image quality forced the trial to be halted and the jury discharged, so the witnesses can be brought to the UK.

The trial at Croydon Crown Court, started on February 13 and the jury were told the 80s singer, whose real name was David Emmanuel, 48, played an instrumental role in recruiting women from Croydon to traffic drugs for distribution in the UK.

The evidence was heard in the opening of the trial of Orville Thomas, 37, Courtney Swaby, 52, and Mr Emmanuel's daughter Natara Russell, 19, who are accused of smuggling cocaine into the country.

When Mr Emmanuel was arrested on March 15, last year he stabbed himself through the heart at his Surrey mansion in Hillbury Road, Warlingham.

A retrial will be held on July 23.