Prisoner tried to source meth for cop, court told

Head Hunters Kaisa Taavale, 37, and Terrance McFarland, 52, were sentenced in the High Court at Auckland this morning in connection with the case of Peter Pakau - the West Auckland police officer who became involved in serious drug offending. Photo / File

A gang member tried to source large quantities of methamphetamine for a corrupt cop from jail, a court has been told.

Head Hunters Kaisa Taavale, 37, and Terrance McFarland, 52, were sentenced in the High Court at Auckland this morning in connection with the case of Peter Pakau - the West Auckland police officer who became involved in serious drug offending while on duty.

Pakau will be sentenced tomorrow.

The court heard how his offending also stretched to informing gang members about police operations to help them avoid arrest.

Terrance McFarland, 52, a senior patched member of the gang, admitted a charge of disclosing sensitive information unlawfully given to him by an official source.

In October 2012, was in the cells at Waitakere District Court where Pakau was working.

Without prompting, the officer told him about a search warrant that would be executed at a Massey address from which the Mongrel Mob were suspected to be selling drugs.

When the raid took place, a couple of days later, nothing of evidential value was found.

But police heard McFarland discuss Pakau's role in the offending after they intercepted his communications.

The defendant, who has 124 previous convictions, was sentenced to 250 hours of community work by Justice Pamela Andrews.

Taavale was arrested in April, 2013 for recklessly discharging a firearm.

His partner contacted Pakau to discuss the man's bail and a plan was hatched to lie about an available address.

Taavale signed a sworn affidavit saying the property belonged to his mother-in-law, knowing that was a lie.

While in prison before the bail issue was decided in court, his partner, in league with Pakau, spoke to him about where they could source a significant amount of methamphetamine to sell.

Taavale directed them to an associate and then to the Head Hunters club.

He later pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice and conspiring to supply methamphetamine and was jailed for two years nine months.