KEY POINTS:
A Christchurch man is the first New Zealander to be convicted for illegally supplying BZP, after the party pill was reclassified as a restricted substance.
In the Christchurch District Court, Shane Tristan Capstick admitted two charges of supplying a restricted substance, BZP, to a person aged under 18.
Capstick was fined $350 on each charge, which carries a maximum penalty of a $2000 fine, The Press reported.
It is the first conviction of the type in a prosecution brought by the Ministry of Health under the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2005, in which BZP was classified as a class C drug, bringing it in line with cannabis.
In March, a North Canterbury woman was charged similarly, but got police diversion on a charge of supplying BZP pills to a girl aged under 18.
- NZPA
