A Napier drug kingpin was yesterday sentenced to eight years' jail.
A Napier electrician who turned to drug-dealing and became involved in a major network dealing in millions of dollars of methamphetamine was yesterday sentenced to eight years' jail.
The sentence was imposed on 50-year-old Keith Lawson who pleaded guilty to charges of offering to supply methamphetamine and possessing methamphetamine for
supply, and unlawful possession of a high-powered air rifle.
It's believed almost a kilogram of methamphetamine was moved from Auckland to Hawke's Bay by, or at the direction of, Lawson, referred to by associates as "the big man", "sir" and "the boss".
Police said surveillance indicated he was involved in at least 500 "transactions".
His sentence was imposed after 1 days of a disputed facts hearing, in which Lawson, through defence counsel Russell Fairbrother QC, argued the amount involved in purchases in Auckland for distribution in the Bay was much less than the 1.3kg that had been assessed by police and the Crown.
