Career criminal jailed for conspiring to supply drugs from prison

Arthur Taylor. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Career criminal Arthur William Taylor has had an extra seven years tacked on to the sentence he is already serving for firearms and drugs charges.

Taylor was sentenced to seven years in prison at the Auckland High Court today for his part in a P-ring that operated inside Paremoremo.

His co-accused Ulaiasi Pulete was sentenced to six years and three months.

Both prisoners must serve at least half their sentence before they are eligible for parole.

The pair were found guilty of conspiracy to supply the class-A drug methamphetamine and not guilty of three counts of supply at their High Court trial in February.

The Crown said that between May and June 2007 the two inmates formed an agreement to supply three "round ones" or 84g of methamphetamine that they had access to.

Police bugged illicit cell phones inside the maximum-security prison and uncovered text messages between Taylor, Pulete and a third man.

The police said Taylor set the deal up while Pulete sourced the drugs.

Taylor texted another prisoner and instructed him to "get your wallet out" because he had access to drugs which everyone wanted.

He told the man that he had "round things, you know, white things".

Taylor was charging $12,000 for each once. The pair had a brief talk and Taylor agreed to supply two or three ounces, which equates to 84g.

But the deal fell over when the third prisoner failed to get the money together.

In his sentencing, Justice Edwin Wylie described Taylor as having a criminal history that goes back to 1972 and included convictions for drugs, firearms, kidnapping and aggravated assault.

Before today's proceedings, Taylor was not due to be released from prison until 2017.

Justice Wylie said Taylor had told the probation officer that he kept his cell phone to keep in touch with friends and family and had shown no remorse for his offending.

He described Taylor as "arrogant" for advising that he would appeal his conviction through the media.

"You take delight in portraying yourself as a victim," Justice Wylie said.

He said Taylor had shown a "total disregard for the justice system" and there was a high risk of him reoffending.

Justice Wylie gave Pulete a slight discount for his work with at-risk youth which he had carried out while on bail. He also acknowledged that Pulete had shown remorse for his offending.

Pulete has also pleaded guilty to supply charges near the end of a marathon three-month trial which ended earlier this month.