Coast connection to Fiji yacht drug bust
HORSE trainer and former Gold Coast local John Nikolic and his wife Yvette are potentially facing lengthy prison sentences, following police raids on their luxury yacht in Fiji.
Ominously Nikolic’s last three runners may have predicted his future predicament, with Circle the Globe (Grafton), Feeling Naughty (Ballina) and Hour of Peril (Doomben), all running in the lead up to his leaving behind the horse training trade in 2014.
The Nikolics’ yacht, SV Shenanigans, was raided by Fijian police on June 21, where they allegedly found $20 million worth of cocaine and ecstasy, $20,000 cash, along with guns and ammunition.
According to the couple’s Facebook page, “SV Shenanigans”, they had planned a trip from Florida, USA back to the Gold Coast, where they say they have an affiliation with the Southport Yacht Club.
Those plans were destroyed when the couple docked at Denarau, Fiji, and Fijian police raided their yacht, not before John allegedly took a concoction of drugs and was rushed to Lautoka Hospital. His wife Yvette was arrested and charged with drug possession and importation.
Following his release from hospital this week Nikolic was charged with importation of illicit drugs, one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs and one count of failure to declare arms and ammunitions to a customs officer.
This is the latest incident in a long and chequered history for Nikolic, who was a controversial racing figure and whose house was raided by police investigating the slaying of Victorian millionaire racing identity Les Samba.
Nikolic moved to Robina in 2009 following an impressive horse training career in Malaysia, where he had more than 100 wins. He set up a small training team on the Coast the same year.
In 2010 Nikolic told Queensland Racing Stewards he would hand in his training licence following an inquiry into the failure of one of his horses at the Sunshine Coast.
At the time stewards grilled Nikolic over their relationships with various punters after sizeable bets were allegedly placed on horse, Baby Boom, a heavy favourite at $1.30 to lose with Tasmanianbased betting exchange Betfair.
Then in April 2011 his home was raided and he was questioned by Victorian police investigating the execution-style murder of millionaire racing identity Les Samba earlier that year.
It’s understood police seized a number of items from the Ron Penhaligan Way house. No arrests were made.
Mr Samba was shot in the back of his head and body as he fled from an attacker, who police believed had planned to meet with him.
Nikolic’s brother, Danny, a champion jockey, was once married to Mr Samba’s daughter, Victoria.
Neither were suspected of any wrongdoing in relation to this matter.
In 2012 New South Wales homicide detective Senior Sergeant Steve McIntyre said John Nikolic “remains a person of interest in the case”.
In 2014 Nikolic was disqualified from horse training for 12 months after a horse in his care produced a positive sample to banned substance Gabapentin.
He wasn’t too far away from headlines again in 2015, warned off Australian racetracks for nine months after admitting to treating a horse with a prohibited drug before it landed a betting plunge.
Nikolic told a NSW Racing inquiry he rubbed penetrene on horse Wonderful Jester’s neck, the front of his chest, over his legs and then his nose, shortly before it won at Murwillumbah on August 3.
He then threw the used absorbent pad over a fence near the stabling area, where it was retrieved by a rival trainer and presented to stewards.
The pad also tested positive to cocaine but a urine and nasal sample on Wonderful Jester, part-owned by Nikolic’s wife Yvette, after the race returned negative to that drug.
A tired and frail-looking Nikolic was escorted to the Nadi Magistrates Court cells by Fiji police and given a meal of chicken soup and potatoes yesterday.
He requested a book to read called One Evil Act, by author Elizabeth George.
Both John and Yvette have been remanded, and are set to appear for mention in Lautoka’s High Court on July 17.