Three members of drug ring jailed

Three men have been jailed and a fourth is in custody awaiting sentence after guilty pleas from some of the 14 people charged and heading for trial for the police's Operation Tsunami anti-drug operation last year.

For the remaining 10 accused, the trial is set down for four weeks in the High Court from mid-February next year.

The police carried out a two-month surveillance operation before raiding properties and making arrests in December.

In May, Rong-Jun Sui, 21, who denied being the kingpin of the drugs ring but admitted charges of conspiracy to supply methamphetamine, supplying the drug, and possession for supply, was jailed for nine years and four months.

In the High Court at Christchurch today, Justice John Fogarty told the men being sentenced that they had been dealing in a dangerous drug that caused a great deal of harm in the community.

Jason Ian Pitts, a 32-year-old scaffolder, was sent to prison for six years for conspiracy and for supplying the drug, known as P or pure methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine is a class A drug and supplying it carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Justice Fogarty noted that Pitts had developed a methamphetamine habit and had taken to retailing the drug to pay for his own use of it.

He hoped the prison term would be a shock for Pitts and would allow him to end his reliance on drugs.

Ke Liu, 22, was jailed for four years for conspiracy to supply the drug. He is a visitor to New Zealand, and will face further problems when he is deported to China at the end of his sentence.

He is already serving a 5-1/2 year jail term for wounding his partner, an attack counsel David Ruth said was probably also related to his use of P. Because of a minimum non-parole period imposed at the earlier sentencing, the additional four years imposed by Justice Fogarty will not change his eligibility for parole in early 2009.

Chih-Wei Kung, a nightclub worker and student, was only 19 when he was arrested last year.

He admitted the conspiracy and supply charges, acknowledging that he had dealt with a small amount of the drug.

Justice Fogarty jailed him for two years, but refused permission for him to apply for home detention.

Mr Ruth said Kung was a New Zealand citizen and would not be deported.

He had voluntarily gone to a drug treatment programme and dissociated himself from the people involved in the offending. He was now concentrating on his studies.

Yuhao Sun, 20, a visitor to New Zealand, today pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and supplying the drug. He was remanded in custody to October 4 for a probation officer's report and sentence.

- NZPA