‘Dangerous’ drug dealer Nepia Taonui busted by cops in traffic stop

Nepia Hakuene Puanaki Maku Toanui has been jailed on drug and weapon charges. Photo / NZ Police

A “dangerous” drug dealer was busted by police while driving around with meth, cash, ammunition, weapons and cannabis in his car.

However, it was the knife that revealed Nepia Hakuene Puanaki Maku Taonui’s illicit dealings; he’d tucked it down next to the driver’s seat but there was enough of it in view for officers to invoke a warrantless search of his car.

That has now seen him jailed on nine drug-related charges by Judge Noel Cocurullo in the Hamilton District Court this week.

Taonui, who was dubbed “dangerous” by police earlier this year, was busted after being pulled over on an unrelated matter on Tongariro St in Chartwell about 8.40pm on May 13 last year.

While speaking to him, officers noticed the knife and searched his car, finding 4.2 grams of P in seven snaplock bags, $3060 in cash, a firearm magazine with two live rounds and a blank round, a baseball bat, meth pipe and a snaplock bag with 0.7gm of cannabis.

Taonui’s phone was analysed and an electronic tick-list was discovered, having been created on April 22 and modified on May 7, outlining various meth sales, or ticks, to 13 different people for debts ranging from $100 to $4000.

The debts totalled $14,850, of which he was still owed $13,500 at the time of his arrest.

Police also found he’d made at least 21 separate offers to supply P, with 18 of those not stating a specific amount.

Police drew the assumption that the majority of clients were repeat buyers and that he didn’t need to quantify the amount they were buying.

The other offers totalled 14.4g of meth.

Taonui’s lawyer, Gerard Walsh, said his client wanted a different life and was fortunate still to have family support.

“He does claim, though, very rigorously, there is a motivation to change.”

Taonui had told Walsh “very succinctly” that you could tell by looking at his criminal history when he wasn’t using meth because there were gaps in his offending.

He knew he had to do something about that, Walsh said.

“So for him, there is an insight into what goes on, goes wrong.”

There were also issues related to his upbringing for which Walsh asked credit.

Taonui, aged in his 20s, had also written a letter of remorse to Judge Cocurullo but it wasn’t enough to sway him to give any discount.

Instead, the judge allowed credit of 20% for his guilty plea and 15% for his upbringing and background issues.

Taonui was jailed for 28 months on charges of unlawful possession of a knife, weapon, ammunition, cannabis and a meth pipe, supplying and offering to supply methamphetamine, and breach of release conditions.

Judge Cocurullo also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of weapons, ammunition, drugs and paraphernalia.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20.