Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

French national jailed for drug dealing

Updated at 3:50 pm on 7 December 2011

A French national has been jailed for two years and two months for dealing a new designer drug in Wellington.

Christopher Vigneau, 25, appeared for sentence in the Wellington High Court on Wednesday on several charges, including selling cannabis, selling 4-MEC and possession of LSD.

4-MEC is a relatively new drug and similar to ecstasy.

Vigneau, an aspiring clothing designer, was arrested after a parcel said to contain jewellery was not delivered to him.

The courier company opened it and discovered the pills inside and contacted police.

Justice Mallon said while the scale of Vigneau's operation was not as great as police initially suspected, it was an aggravating factor that he persisted in running such a business venture to make money.

She also ordered forfeiture of $3123.50 in cash found at his home.

Vigneau's lawyer Keith Jeffries says his client was naive and his offending occurred when he was unemployed and trying to start his own business.

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