Stephen Harland was today jailed for taking more than $1 million of meth across the Cook Strait. Photo / Facebook
Stephen Harland was today jailed for taking more than $1 million of meth across the Cook Strait. Photo / Facebook
A "wilfully blind" drug mule who transported more than $1 million of meth across Cook Strait on the Interislander ferry has been jailed for more than six years.
Stephen Hames Harland was sentenced in the High Court in Auckland this morning after pleading guilty to one charge of possession to supply a class-A drug.
He was sentenced to six years and eight months in jail.
Harland was arrested after armed police stopped him driving off a Picton wharf from the Interislander with more than 1kg of methamphetamine in September 2015.
Last week, Daryn Bruce Catley, a Rebels Outlaw motorcycle gang member and a leader in organising the shipment, was sentenced to nine years' jail.
Daryn Bruce Catley was jailed for nine years for his role in the scheme. Photo / Facebook
Catley was also arrested in September 2015 as part of Operation Tea, an undercover sting after police began suspecting large amounts of meth was being taken from Auckland by organised criminal groups to Christchurch by air and vehicles.
Late on September 13 2015, Catley gave Harland a black Nike bag with a shoebox full of meth and told him to drive a rental car from Auckland to Christchurch.
Catley was to travel to Christchurch separately and meet Harland to secure the drugs.
The following morning Harland drove to Wellington and boarded the Interislander ferry to Picton at 8.30pm.
At midnight, as Harland drove off the ferry and on to the Picton wharf, armed police swooped.
Inside the bag was 1.15kg of meth, worth $1.15m on the street, a further $2930, and three cellphones.
But the Interislander bust was just the start of a joint police operation and one hour later police stormed Catley's Christchurch home, known to be the Rebels' clubrooms.
The more than 1kg of meth smuggled on the Interislander. Photo / Supplied
A cache of weapons was seized by police during the anti-drug operation. Photo / Supplied
A sawn-off .22 rifle was found, along with a small amount of meth, more than $5200, and Rebels paraphernalia.
Later that morning another home in Greenlane, Auckland, also listed to Catley, was raided and 12.5g of meth was found, some in plastic lock bags; along with several glass P pipes, scales, $152,100 in a wardrobe safe, $6790 strewn across the lounge, and $4000 in a Subaru.
Catley was also found to be in possession of a Taser.
Catley was the "treasurer" for the Rebels gang. Photo / Facebook
Justice John Fogarty said Harland was "simply a courier" and became involved in the scheme after being introduced to members of the Rebels Outlaw Christchurch chapter.
"These are not your normal associates," the judge said. "You have really valuable friends, who have written to the court speaking on your behalf.
"There is a very good prospect on your release that you will never offend again."
In a letter of apology to the court, Harland expressed his remorse for his offending and acknowledged the harm his meth shipment would have caused the Canterbury community.
He wrote that his offending was "humiliating" for his family name, and has caused "undue stress on my parents and siblings".
"If I was ever put in this position again I would take the appropriate steps to find out what was in my possession and why it was in my possession," he said.
An emotional Harland was given the opportunity to hug and talk to five of his family and friends.
Last week at Catley's sentencing, the court heard that the kingpin of the operation has escaped prosecution because of a lack of evidence linking him to the crimes.
Catley was said to be the "treasurer" for the Rebels and trusted with significant amounts of money.
