Whangārei gym manager guilty of possessing Class C drug

Whangārei gym manager and former D1NZ drifting champion Justin Rood has been found guilty of possessing the Class C drug Benzylpiperazine (BZP).

A Whangārei gym manager has been found guilty of possessing a Class C drug.

The trial of Justin Dean Rood, started in Whangārei District Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing the Class C drug Benzylpiperazine (BZP).

Rood, who was D1NZ world drifting champion in 2004 and now manages a gym, pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis seeds at he start of the trial.

Police executed a search warrant the John St property Rood lives and works in on July 24, 2020 and found two cannabis seedlings hidden under a bathroom vanity, a ripped out seedling in a bin and a number of cannabis seedlings.

In Rood's bedroom they found a cup, which contained a yellow Kinder Surprise plastic egg. Inside the egg were about 15 pills. Testing found they contained BZP.

In evidence, Rood said he found the pills in the pouch behind the front seat in a Toyota Corolla car he bought six or seven years ago.

He said he didn't know what the pills were and put them away, thinking that he may ask somebody what they were as he was curious.

Rood, who repairs vehicles in the John St property, which is behind Anytime Fitness Gym, said he often came across things left in cars he was fixing.

He said while he had forgotten about the pills since, in hindsight he should have thrown them out when he found them.

The jury retired to consider it's verdict around 11.10am and returned around two hours later with their guilty verdict.

Rood was then fined for the three offences.