Pair were drug dealers, jury told

Two people are in court over drug charges in Whangarei.

Two Northlanders arrested after police swooped on a rural property where nearly 30g of methamphetamine, $12,000 cash and firearms were seized were commercial drug dealers, a jury has heard.

Lateisha Ann Jeeves, 23, and Keith John Mills, 29, pleaded not guilty to charges against them as a jury of eight men and four women began to hear their case in Whangarei District Court yesterday.

Both were jointly charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a pistol, and possession of methamphetamine for supply.

Jeeves pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm, a .22 calibre ruger semi-automatic rifle, before the week-long trial started yesterday.

Crown prosecutor Kevin Patterson told the jury a police team, and the Armed Offenders' Squad, forced entry into a house in Roberts' West Rd, Arapohue, about 16km southeast of Dargaville, on January 29, 2014. Jeeves, Mills and a visitor were inside the house.

Officers recovered a .22 calibre ruger semi-automatic rifle from a bedroom, $12,000 cash from a briefcase, 29.4g of white powder which was later confirmed as methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia such as ziplock bags and electronic scales, and a .22 calibre pistol found in a glovebox inside a truck.

Mr Patterson said the property also had surveillance cameras in place.

"The issue in this trial will be whose drugs were they and was there drug dealing going on to third parties," he told the jury in his opening address.

He said Jeeves had previously been convicted of drug dealing and at the time police searched the Arapohue property, she was on electronically-monitored bail on drugs' charges.

Mr Patterson said there was sufficient quantity of methamphetamine with associated paraphernalia to prove both were dealing in drugs which were not for personal-use.

Jeeves took responsibility for the methamphetamine when spoken to by the officer-in-charge of the case, Detective Dave Smith said.

Mills' lawyer Arthur Fairley told the jury his client had no knowledge of the methamphetamine, it was not his, and he was not in possession of it.

Nick Leader, representing Jeeves, asked the jury to treat her as innocent throughout the trial until the Crown had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.