Two Northland dads jailed, given home D for roles in meth importing ring

Police and Customs at a joint drug bust - Operation Freya - on Takahiwai Rd in 2021 which uncovered a large drug haul. Photo / Northern Advocate

Two fathers who helped their children by providing their homes to import drugs and cook methamphetamine in a major drug dealing operation have learned their fate.

Todd Hilton has been sentenced to jail and Iti Arama to home detention by Justice Michael Robinson in the Whangārei High Court on charges related to Operation Freya.

The 2021 police sting resulted in 11 search warrants across Northland in Morningside, Rāwhiti, Ruakākā and Whananaki, as well as Rotorua.

Operation Freya intercepted 20kg of methamphetamine, 5.4kg of MDMA, and 1kg of pseudoephedrine being imported from South America and South Africa with a street value of more than $8 million.

Hilton was earlier convicted of participating in organised crime, conspiring to supply methamphetamine, conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine, and conspiring to supply cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale.

Iti Arama was convicted of participation in an organised criminal group and had several charges dropped.

The court heard that in 2021 Arama had several family members living at his Morningside address, including his daughter and her partner, the alleged ringleader of the group.

Arama agreed to use his property as an address for importation as well as be the custodian of large amounts of cash.

At one stage, he was recorded in conversation with his daughter agreeing to give her $130,000 and when police did a search, they found $70,000 in bundles.

Arama’s lawyer Wayne McKean said his client “dabbled” in meth in his youth but at the time of his arrest was in a stable relationship and employment.

McKean said Arama wanted to plead guilty at the earliest opportunity, however, because of the size of the operation and the number of people involved, it took some time for the Crown to have all the disclosure of evidence organised.

“There is no evidence he had any power in this organisation. He didn’t handle any packages and was at the lower rungs of this group,” McKean said.

A Customs investigator speaks to Detective Senior Sergeant Kevan Verry of the Organised Crime unit at Takahiwai during the first phase of Operation Freya. Photo / Tania Whyte

Hilton’s son was the alleged leader of the group and Hilton assisted the organisation by providing his Takahiwai address as an importation and cooking site between March 2020 and November 2021.

Throughout that time, he received 9.5kg of meth and cooked an additional 2.4kg. His address was also used to attempt to import iodine which would have produced a further 4kg of meth, but the iodine never made it.

Crown prosecutor Richard Annandale said Hilton had been released from the Tūmanako Mental Health Unit where he was an inpatient and while being reintroduced to the community, began consuming meth and got involved with the group through his son.

“He posed a significant risk to the community,” Annandale said.

His lawyer Julie Young said her client had long-term mental health issues and was under mental health orders throughout the operation.

In sentencing Hilton, Justice Robinson acknowledged his personal circumstances and said those factors must be reasonably reflected in the end sentence.

“You have been diagnosed for a long time with significant mental health and drug addiction,” Justice Robinson said.

“Those things have worked together to make things very difficult for you. Those things go a way to explain how you have come to be standing here today.”

Justice Robinson pointed out both offenders knew exactly what they were doing by getting involved with their children’s drug operations but neither had made any serious financial gain.

“You knew what was going on. You knew the extent of what your group was trying to produce. There’s so much money to be made but it does so much damage to our community.”

Hilton was sentenced to three years and five months’ imprisonment and Arama to 10 months’ home detention.

Nine alleged co-offenders are still before the courts.