Dealer who got drugs delivered to him in prison loses appeal

File photo / NZ Herald

A convicted drug dealer has failed to reduce his sentence for getting drugs delivered to him in prison and organising a fake drug deal.

Dennis Mau'u was convicted in 2014 on seven drugs, robbery and violence charges, and sentenced to four years in jail.

The offending occurred while in Auckland Central Remand prison between August 2010 and April 2011, serving a sentence for kidnapping, indecent assault and firearms charges.

He was also on remand for other robbery, kidnapping and firearm charges.

Telephone calls recorded by the prison showed Mau'u arranged for his two brothers Tuvale and Henry to assault a man, "tax" another man by taking his Holden HQ, using a cricket bat as enforcement.

He also arranged for his brother Tuvale to set up a fake drug sale, which netted almost $20,000 from the buyer.

Mau'u also had Tuvale supply him with methamphetamine and cannabis through a corrupt prison guard.

He also tried to set up a supply of pseudoephedrine, a drug used in making methamphetamine.

Mau'u's appeal claimed the starting point taken by the sentencing judge was too high, given most of the offending was to feed his own drug addiction, and that it was a conspiracy charge.

The end sentence was also manifestly excessive when the prisoner's existing sentence was taken into account.

However, the Court of Appeal could find no error in the Judge's reasoning.

Justices Stevens, Asher and Williams said the starting point was appropriate, and there was no question the drugs being smuggled into prison were for on-sale.

Mau'u had also been given an "unquestionably generous" reduction to take account of his existing jail term.

The appeal was dismissed.