Sami Zagros admits importing 8kg of methamphetamine

Sami Zagros at his March trial on drug importation charges. Photo / Open Justice

Sami Zagros has halted his High Court trial by admitting he imported 8kg of the class A drug methamphetamine into New Zealand from Mexico and the United States.

The 32-year-old was characterised by the Crown as the head of a drug syndicate, with a lavish lifestyle, flash car, stun-gun, and $169,800 cash at his home.

He is now in custody awaiting sentencing on charges that carry maximum life imprisonment sentences, in the High Court at Christchurch on July 6.

Zagros had denied the charges at a trial that began on March 14, but it ran into trouble after three days. Negotiations had been taking place after the Crown had started presenting its evidence, and then the defence counsel declined to continue.

Zagros was held in custody in the meantime when Justice Gerald Nation remanded the judge-alone trial part heard, to be continued later.

The lawyers were replaced and negotiations continued, leading to seven guilty pleas from Zagros when the case was called before Justice Cameron Mander today, and prosecutor Sean Mallett said the Crown had agreed not to proceed with two other charges.

Zagros admitted importing six consignments of MDMA, with one or two other people who have been dealt with separately, and possession of the class B drug Ecstasy for supply.

Mallett said at the trial that Zagros had already admitted and been convicted of importing methamphetamine. The charges still before the court at that time - which he continued to deny - bore striking similarities to the offending he had admitted.

Between Zagros and a co-offender, Zagros was "the boss". Mallett said he was "higher up the hierarchy".

"While Zagros organised his importation of these packages, he used (the co-offender) to uplift the packages when they arrived and to courier the drugs and money across the country."

Mallett detailed packages sent into New Zealand from Mexico and the United States which were not intercepted and it was not known how much methamphetamine they contained.
They would be sent to vacant addresses, sometimes to properties that were still to be rented. They were sent to neighbours of the syndicate members, sometimes under fictitious names, or variations of their own names.

They were imported as legitimate imports, including samples, dining utensils, or stereo components.

Some attempted importations were intercepted in Hong Kong, Brazil and the United States. They were found to contain methamphetamine.

Mallett said the Crown estimated the importation at 8kg of meth, estimating the unknown amounts from the smallest amount of methamphetamine known to have been in a packet.

He said Zagros had imitation firearms and a stun-gun. He also told of Zagros threatening a man when a Bitcoin investment he made lost $35,000 in 10 days. Zagros told the man he had "knee-capped someone for $5000". Fearful, the man took out a loan to repay him.