An NRLW player who admitted supplying cocaine and ketamine in Sydney’s CBD is stranded in the Pacific Islands after her visa to return to Australia after a competition was refused, a court has been told.
Aliti Namoce, 26, failed to appear at Downing Center Local Court on Monday where guilty pleas were made on her behalf to two charges each of possession of a prohibited drug and supply of a deemed drug.
He also pleaded guilty to a single charge of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The court was told Ms Namoce was granted a variation of her bail conditions earlier this year so she could travel to her home country to compete for the Fijian side, but was denied entry. back to Australia.
The police prosecutor said there was no information before the court to suggest why Ms Namoce was not given a visa to re-enter Australia and risked breaching her bail if she remained stranded.
‘The issue I raise is that the suspension (of his bail conditions) was for a period of time. Unless it was readjusted, he would be effectively in breach of bail,” he told deputy chief magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis.
He went on to state that “there is no information about visa refusal to Australia – which would be a cause for concern – but there could be a perfectly legitimate reason”, and agreed to a two-week postponement.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tsavdaridis told Namoce’s lawyer that they were “on notice” and that, while approving the adjournment, the police could request that Namoce be detained on the next occasion.
Aliti Namoce is stranded in Fiji but pleaded guilty on her behalf to drug supply at Downing Center Local Court.
The Fiji-born prop returned to the Pacific Islands for a football competition
Agreed police details presented to the court reveal that police were patrolling in Zetland to “disrupt drug supply activities” when they saw a man get into Ms Namoce’s car before leaving a few meters further along.
When police stopped her a short time later, officers said they observed her “delaying rolling down her window… (and) she was actively trying to delete messages and close apps on her phone.”
Police immediately confiscated the phone and after searching his car discovered two plastic bags containing smaller packages containing white powders later separately determined to be cocaine and ketamine.
More than $1,000 in cash, police said, was the proceeds of crime and a pocket knife was also found. Ms Namoce told officers she had driven from her home in Lalor Park because she was “going for a drive”.
A check of the navigation app on Ms Namoce’s phone further revealed she had visited several addresses in inner Sydney, including properties in Zetland, Gladesville, Balmain, Paddington and Glebe.
Namoce made seven appearances for the Parramatta Eels in 2024 and has represented his native Fiji in international rugby. He is expected to return to the same court next month for sentencing.