Man needed surgery to remove hidden drugs

CHRISTCHURCH - A man needed an operation at Christchurch Hospital to remove eight water balloons containing ecstasy tablets swallowed in a bid to smuggle them into New Zealand.

He and his friend were caught at the airport, and after an operation and doses of laxatives while in police custody, they admitted importing ecstasy with a street value of nearly $80,000.

Jade Patrick Kerehama Rauhihi, of Broad Beach on Australia's Gold Coast, and Shannon Richard Dillon, of Christchurch, both 23-year-old labourers, pleaded guilty to importing nearly 1000 tablets of the class B drug.

Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen Erber remanded them in custody for a Crown sentencing session for more serious cases on July 14. He called for a pre-sentence report.

Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Scott Richardson said that after they were detained, Rauhihi had complained of feeling unwell.

There was concern that one of the balloons might have ruptured inside him, causing a severe drug overdose.

He was admitted to intensive care at Christchurch Hospital.

Both men were given CAT scans, indicating that they had drugs concealed internally. Dillon was also admitted, as a safety precaution.

Rauhihi had to have an operation to remove the balloons from his stomach and the men were given laxatives to make them excrete other drug-filled balloons.

Dillon excreted 726 tablets and Rauhihi had been concealing another 270.

Rauhihi freely acknowledged the offending. He said he did it to pay off a $25,000 drug debt in Australia. Someone else had suggested it as a good way of making part of the money.

He bought the 1000 tablets for $14 each in Australia and would have been able to sell them in New Zealand for $50 each. He was going to split the profits with Dillon.

Dillon said he took part because he wanted money to repay a debt owed to a family member.

Mr Richardson said the police believed the street value of the 996 tablets would have been $79,680.

- NZPA