Tauranga teens caught dealing dope in public park

Jonathan Watson, 18, from Otumoetai pleaded guilty to dealing cannabis in the Tauranga District Court yesterday. Photo/File

An Tauranga teenager has been caught dealing cannabis in the Memorial Park carpark after a concerned member of the public who was offered the drug alerted police.

Jonathan Watson, 18, pleaded guilty to one joint charge each of possession of a cannabis utensil and possession of cannabis for supply in the Tauranga District Court this week. The latter charge attracts a maximum sentence of eight years' prison

The court heard about 11am on February 3 this year Watson and two associates were parked in a van in the Memorial Park carpark on Devonport Rd.

Watson and associates had separated 21 grams of cannabis into 33 snaplock bags weighing about 0.6g each, and also had a set of digital scales and $144 cash.

Using their mobile phones they each contacted multiple buyers and organised for the buyers to meet them at the van to complete the drug deals.

A concerned member of the public who was offered cannabis by the defendants phoned the police.

When police searched the van they located the cannabis and other items and also seized four bongs for smoking cannabis which were found in the three defendants' possession.

Watson's two co-offenders, who earlier pleaded guilty, were awaiting sentence on May 8.

Watson's lawyer Tony Rickard-Simms urged Judge Christopher Harding to impose a sentence of supervision on his client, who was a first-time offender before the court.

But Judge Harding declined to sentence Watson without a probation report and remanded him on bail for sentencing on June 18.