Drug dealer back in court

A 63-year-old Picton man, already facing the confiscation of his home for drug dealing, today appeared in Blenheim District Court charged with cannabis possession following a police raid last Tuesday.

Gary Walter Tittleton, a sickness beneficiary, had earlier pleaded guilty to previous charges of cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis for supply. Police had found over 2.4kg of cannabis when they searched his Picton home on September 21 2009.

Tittleton is to appear again in court on March 30.

A Picton police spokesman said the amount seized in the second arrest last week is to be measured by ESR to see if it is more than 28g.

Amounts greater than that are assumed to be for supply.

A restraining order has been taken out against Tittleton's house by police, meaning he cannot on-sell it before he is sentenced on the earlier charges.

His home - which has a rateable value of $285,000 - is one of the first properties to be the subject of a restraining order under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009, which allows for the seizure of assets, including houses, vehicles or household items involved in, or used in, certain criminal acts.

- NZPA