Women avoid jail over drugs charges

NABBED: Two women are facing home detention for their part in a multi-million dollar drug ring bust.

Two women with links to a multi-million dollar nationwide drug ring have been handed home detention sentences in Masterton District Court.

Emma Jane Dinsdale-Dette, 27, a Wellington bar worker and Samantha Elizabeth Williams, 24, a Wellington sales assistant, were arrested during police Operation Nebraska which ended last October, leading to the seizure of more than $2 million in assets including four properties, a boat, five vehicles and money held in bank accounts totalling $230,000.

A commercial pill-press, thousands of pills, about 5kg of powder and guns were also seized. The Wellington pair were among 23 people nationwide arrested during the police operation.

The pair were sentenced by Judge Bill Hastings after previously pleading guilty to charges they faced.

Dinsdale-Dette had pleaded to eight charges including selling benzylpiperazine (BZP) and cannabis. Williams admitted five counts, including conspiring to sell BZP and selling cannabis.

Dinsdale-Dette was working as part of a distribution network for Clint Helmbright, 44, and his partner Jody Turner seen as "second-in-command", 23, who are alleged to be at the centre of the drugs syndicate which spanned the country.

She'd buy BZP-based pills and cannabis from Helmbright using coded talk referring to cannabis ounces as a "bottle of rum", "Fiji rum", "tyres" or "mags". Making reference to "cars" and "servicing for cars" when talking about BZP, the court heard. Between April and October 2013 she was regularly supplied with the drugs to on-sell. She paid $25 for BZP on-selling it for between $40 and $60. She also assisted the ring leaders by travelling to Christchurch on their behalf to buy the drugs.

During this time she was living with Williams, who helped her sell drugs when her co-offender wasn't home.

On October 23, police raided the pair's home, from where Dinsdale-Dette fled out the back door with 30 pink BZP pills.

Both were represented by defence lawyer Ian Hard who said at sentencing both women were at the lower-end of the drug ring.

The women had been afraid of the two ring leaders and continued to sell drugs after threats, he said.

Dinsdale-Dette sold drugs worth between $20,000 and $43,000 during the period involved.

Judge Hasting said at sentencing the pair's involvement was not large scale.

Both had taken steps to rehabilitate themselves, he said.

"You both have a drug habit."

He noted a report from Wairarapa Private Addiction Services stated Dinsdale-Dette used recreational drugs to "self medicate" and had sought counselling as he sentenced her to 11 months' home detention.

Williams had on-sold 250 BZP pills worth between $8000 and $15,000 and 10 ounces of cannabis valued at about $3500.

In a letter written to the court she apologised for her offending, describing her arrest as a "kick up the bum" to help get her life back on track, Judge Hastings said.

"You state in that letter that you know that 'the life of drugs is not the path that I want to go down', as it was leading you nowhere ... indeed it was leading you to prison," he said to Williams.

He sentenced her to nine months' home detention.