Mongols South Island president Jason Ross has been jailed for 12 years for his role in the drug dealing exposed by Operation Silk. Photo / Belinda Feek
Mongols South Island president Jason Ross has been jailed for 12 years for his role in the drug dealing exposed by Operation Silk. Photo / Belinda Feek
Jason Ross was following in his father’s footsteps when he joined the Mongols gang, becoming president of the South Island chapter.
But it wasn’t the family connection that drove his offending. It was the money.
The 47-year-old - dubbed “666″ in the gang - dealt in kilograms of Class A and B drugs, and a shoebox exchange of cash with a hefty $150,000 inside.
Ross was today sentenced to 12 years in jail as a result of Operation Silk - a police operation targeting the establishment of the Mongols gang in the Bay of Plenty in 2019 and the subsequent distribution of methamphetamine and other drugs throughout the country.
A jury in last year’s 12-week trial in the High Court at Hamilton took five days to find eight members of the gang, including president Jim “JD” Thacker, guilty on a raft of charges.
Ross was found guilty of four charges - three of possession of methamphetamine for supply, one which was representative, and possession of the class B drug, 25I-NBome, for supply.
The charges relate to various trips by the Crown’s protected witness, during 2019 and 2020, between Auckland, Te Puke, and Christchurch in which he exchanged between 1kg and 2kg of methamphetamine for cash.
In one instance, Ross handed the witness $150,000 cash bundled into a shoebox.
Crown prosecutor Anna Pollett said that in hindsight, Ross should also have been charged with participating in an organised criminal group, but either way, his involvement in the gang was “significant”.
Ross was instrumental in the supply and distribution of between 5kg and 6kg of drugs down to, and around, the South Island as well as the establishment of the gang pad in Christchurch.
“That was one of the aims of this newly established gang,” Pollet said.
“It was a high-risk operation and nothing less than kilograms would suffice.”
She pushed for a minimum non-parole period of two-thirds and a starting point of 14 years.
Defending counsel Thomas Haare instead asked for a nine- to 11-year starting point, plus a further 12 months for the class B drug offending.
He urged Justice Melanie Harland not to hand down a minimum period of imprisonment and asked for discounts for his client’s prospect of rehabilitation, previous clean criminal history, upbringing, and the clear trajectory into gangs, given his father had also been a Mongols gang member.
Haare also asked for a discount taking into account the effect of the prison term on Ross’ family, including his parents, both of whom were sick, and his partner and child.
The number of trips made by the protected witness to the South Island was still disputed, but today Justice Harland said she would focus on his statements initially made to police - six trips.
A car parked at a Haukore St, Tauranga Mongrel Mob home that was allegedly pelted with bullets by members of the Mongols gang. Photo / Sandra Conchie
As well as having an operational function of receiving and onselling the drugs, Ross was the South Island president and had influence over others.
He also dealt in commercial quantities of cash which she said was the motivating factor behind the offending, given he was not a user of drugs or alcohol.
“There’s no evidence that anything but financial profit drove your offending.
“You dealt with large amounts ... and distributed it in the South Island. It’s likely you were aware of similar dealings occurring in the North Island.
“You were not simply a prospect [of the gang] ... but the president.”
Justice Harland also outlined the defendant’s upbringing; born to a mother aged only 16, and his parents separating two years later, which saw him live in Rotorua with extended family for three years from age 5, before moving to Australia at 8 years old.
He returned to New Zealand aged 24 and set up a painting business in Auckland before moving to Christchurch a few years later.
Now, she said, he was a hard worker, dedicated father, partner, and son.
She agreed with the Crown’s assessment of the 14-year starting point but agreed to a 10 per cent discount for cultural factors and the effect on his family, plus a further six months for time on restricted bail, resulting in a 12-year end jail term.
She declined to hand down a minimum term of imprisonment.
Belinda Feek has been a reporter for 19 years, and at the Herald for eight years before joining the Open Justice team in 2021.
