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Latvian found with $48m in drugs, a gun and ammo, court hears

Janis Zegelis

A Latvian sailor who stopped for boat repairs was found with $48 million worth of cocaine, a gun and 192 rounds of ammunition on his yacht, a jury heard today.Janis Zegelis is said by prosecutors to have obtained the drugs in the Caribbean last summer, having visited several islands including Trinidad and Tobago.He was sailing single-handed back to his home country in Eastern Europe when his 38ft single-masted yacht, Arturs, encountered heavy seas which caused problems with the mast.Needing repairs, he stopped off in Bermuda just before Cup Match last year, arriving on July 21, according to Director of Public Prosecutions Rory Field.Unable to get the repairs done due to the holiday, Mr Zegelis was still moored at St George's when Customs raided the boat on August 1.The cocaine, weighing 165 kilograms, was in the form of powder in plastic bags and had an average purity of 81 percent according to Mr Field.The weapon was a 9mm Beretta. The items were stored in a cabin area at the bow of the yacht."The value of these drugs, the Crown allege, was something in the region of $48 million," said Mr Field, opening Mr Zegelis's Supreme Court trial this morning."The Crown's case on the firearm is simple: Mr Zegelis had something worth $48 million in the front of his boat, and that's a fortune in any country and enough to tempt any criminal to come to take it whether it's overseas or on land. That's why he had the weapon; to use it if anyone wanted to take the drugs."According to Mr Field, the ammunition fitted the gun and Customs officers also found two extended magazines, which would allow 30 bullets to be fired from each magazine without reloading. One of the magazines was loaded with 29 bullets and the other with 25."One can only imagine what could have occurred if criminals in Bermuda got wind of those drugs," noted Mr Field.Mr Zegelis, who is due to turn 29 on Thursday, was arrested and taken into custody after the raid. According to the prosecutor, he was interviewed by police and gave information that was incriminating.He is facing six charges: importing and possessing the cocaine, importing and possessing the gun, and importing and possessing the ammunition.He denies the charges, but Mr Field said the evidence will show he is "clearly guilty of all six".Mr Zegelis is being assisted by a translator in court who speaks Latvian. However, according to Mr Field, the defendant speaks English "quite well" and also speaks Russian and Spanish.