Five men with links to Auckland sport and the underworld have been convicted of trying to buy a huge stash of P in Tonga. But it never existed.

A gang member primarily responsible for the misappropriation of $20,000 of government funds for the gang to buy cannabis has been jailed for four years.

Cannabis law reformers want Northland, the "cannabis capital of New Zealand," to trial marijuana liberalisation in a bid to increase tourism.

A group of Latin American leaders yesterday declared that votes by two American states to legalise cannabis have important implications for efforts to quash drug smuggling.

The grieving parents of Josh Tunnicliffe, who died last Sunday aged 27, have battled for a decade to fight their son's huffing addiction.

A drug mule caught smuggling 4kg of methamphetamine into London was working for an organised crime syndicate in New Zealand, police in Britain say.

Ensuring drug sniffer dogs continue to detect illegal drugs in schools is essential in dealing with young people's addiction and keeping them in education, a leading Northland youth counsellor says.

Police have released the name of a man whose body was found next to gas canisters in Dunedin's Botanic Gardens yesterday, but are yet to establish whether he is the latest victim of "huffing".

A new court designed to tackle the underlying causes of crime will save lives and money, say judges.

A routine traffic stop at Umawera, in the Far North, led to the discovery of a methamphetamine lab at Whangape, police say.

A Northland headmaster has written to John Key about his concerns over banning drug sniffer dogs from schools, saying it is "short-sighted nonsense".

A former Mana Party candidate and Green Party member has appeared in the Rotorua District Court charged with assaulting a woman and possession of cannabis.

A law change to ban schools from drug testing students will "seriously dent'' the ability of teachers to stop drugs entering the school gates, the principals' union says.

A multi-millionaire businessman granted New Zealand citizenship in controversial circumstances was seen by police "singing and drinking" with an underworld crime boss.

A man arrested for carrying drug utensils surprised police by vomiting up a snaplock bag of white powder, thought to be $7000 worth of methamphetamine.

Grant "Grunty" Wyllie was well-known and liked in Whitianga as a good guy whose passion was pig hunting. Or so his friends thought.

Want to argue legal highs are a good thing? Maybe try doing it when you're not under the influence, writes Kerre Woodham.

K2 is the most toxic and harmful of the synthetic cannabis products he has witnessed in patients, an emergency department specialist says.

An African drug dealer who entered a sham marriage within weeks of arriving in New Zealand to help him get residency is to be deported.

A New Zealander will face criminal charges and a possible lengthy jail sentence after being caught with three cannabis joints in the Philippines.

Police have arrested three people after a "cocktail of danger" was uncovered in containers and caravans in rural Waikato last week.