Taranaki meth dealer Kodee Kee-Sue jailed for 13 years and seven months

A judge at New Plymouth District Court rejected a claim that Kodee Kee-Sue was a low-level meth dealer and sentenced him to more than 13 years behind bars.

Kodee Kee-Sue may not be the “Mr Asia or Mr Big” of meth dealing in New Zealand but his drug offending, captured in videos he “foolishly” filmed himself, was significant enough to land him behind bars for more than 13 years.

In New Plymouth District Court on Friday, Judge Robert Spear said Kee-Sue, 33, might consider himself unlucky after his enterprise was only discovered by police when they arrived at his house looking for someone else on an unrelated matter.

The June 17, 2021, visit to his New Plymouth home instead resulted in officers spotting a bag of cannabis which then gave them authority to search his property.

There they uncovered 36.1g of meth, $450 cash, a “tick list”, a meth pipe, scales, a falsified driver licence with Kee-Sue’s photo and the name Tommy Lai, five LSD tabs, and 9g of MDMA.

Also found at the property, under the living room coffee table, were two cutdown and loaded rifles, and further rounds of ammunition.

During the search, police found substances that suggested meth had been manufactured there so the National Clandestine Laboratory Response team was brought in to conduct an examination.

The materials were seized and 17.7g of solid containing meth was also discovered.

Matters went from bad to worse for Kee-Sue when police searched his mobile phone and discovered photos and videos of him handling large sums of money and more than 1.5kg of meth.

His phone data revealed several conversations where he arranged the sale and supply of the drug.

Videos Kee-Sue recorded of himself showed him manufacturing and smoking meth, and a briefcase containing about $80,000 cash.

A subsequent video of the briefcase showed the cash had been replaced with 28 one-ounce containers of the drug, which has a total street value of about $210,000.

At the sentencing, Crown prosecutor Jacob Bourke said Kee-Sue was involved in the purchase of large-scale, commercial amounts of meth and directed others to sell it on his behalf.

“This is not a street-level dealer,” he said.

But defence lawyer Julian Hannam argued Kee-Sue was exactly that.

Kodee Kee-Sue was sentenced in New Plymouth District Court. Photo / Tara Shaskey

He was not someone who had access to vast quantities of money and instead was the courier of large drug transactions on someone else’s behalf, Hannam said.

Kee-Sue was naive, had been motivated by his own meth addiction, and was “showing off” by recording the videos.

“[It was] foolish beyond words and certainly not something you would expect from a seasoned drug dealer.”

Hannam said Kee-Sue was, as detailed in several references from family and friends, well thought of, a loved son, a creative and someone who has faced challenges.

Referring to the references, Judge Spear said it was difficult to see someone so well regarded as being an offender at such a high level, but Kee-Sue’s role in the trade was clear.

“You were far more than just a person operating a limited function under direction,” he said.

“While I don’t say that you are the Mr Asia or Mr Big of methamphetamine dealing in New Zealand, so far as this area is concerned, you were clearly in a significant role.

“You clearly had criminal connections at a high level. The suggestion that you were an addict just carrying out some function for methamphetamine for personal use is ridiculous.”

Judge Spear said the meth trade had resulted in the ruin of countless lives and profound social destruction.

“So when those involved in peddling this drug at a significant level are apprehended they can expect little mercy.”

He said Kee-Sue had previously served a prison sentence for supplying meth and that had not deterred him from repeat drug offending.

On a raft of drug and firearms charges, including manufacturing and supplying meth, Kee-Sue was sent to jail again, this time for 13 years and seven months, a sentence that prompted gasps and sobs from his supporters in the public gallery.

Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.