Thompson is currently serving 13 years for methamphetamine dealing in 2018.
At that time, he was described as the top man in an organised crime network that had pushed $4.2 million worth of meth into the Hawke’s Bay region over 11 months in 2016 and 2017.
In 2018, the Court of Appeal called him “the most comprehensive methamphetamine dealer Hawke’s Bay has ever seen”.
Defence lawyer Eric Forster said the latest offending was done as “simply a favour” to the inmate who was due to receive the meth, and not for any reward.
But Judge Bridget Mackintosh said: “This kind of behaviour undermines any rehabilitation programmes in prison and undermines prison discipline.”
She sentenced Thompson to 23 months of imprisonment on charges of supplying methamphetamine, smuggling and unauthorised possession of a cellphone.
The sentence is to be served cumulatively, meaning it will be added to the term he is already serving.
It has the effect of pushing out the earliest date at which he can apply for parole to October 2025.
The drug smuggling was discovered by police surveillance of cellphone communications early this year.
Other people involved in the alleged scheme are being dealt with separately by the courts.
When he was not dealing drugs, Thompson enjoyed considerable success as a gambler, winning the main event at the Sky City casino’s Festival of Poker in 2016.
He reportedly earned more than $100,000 from legal gambling over two years and was known for his aggressive playing.
He had a habit of exclaiming “Later Bo” as he forced his opponents to fold through the strength of his betting.
But after he was sentenced for meth dealing, Thompson was outplayed by the Police Asset Recovery Unit, who went after the riches he gained from his criminal activities and successfully seized them for the Crown.
In 2018, they took five vehicles and $130,000 in cash from Thompson and an associate.
Last year, they applied successfully for court orders to seize a ute, a Flaxmere house, and cash and bank deposits totalling more than $90,000 under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act.
Thompson had tried to hide some of his assets by registering the ute under the name John Doe, and the house in the name of a long-term gambling buddy.
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.
