A man has been jailed for 15 years for his role in a drug syndicate that was exposed after a boat with 500kg of methamphetamine on board washed up on Ninety Mile Beach.
The boat that was found abandoned on Ninety Mile Beach. Photo: Supplied: Police
The man, who cannot be named, also received a minimum non-parole period of seven and a half years in the High Court at Auckland this morning.
Police discovered the man's role in the drug supplying syndicate through a woman connected to the meth-laden boat that washed up on the Northland beach in June 2016.
He pleaded guilty to 11 charges of supplying methamphetamine and other weapons and driving charges after receiving a sentence indication from Justice Lang last month.
This morning the court heard the 33-year-old delivered varying amounts of methamphetamine to specific addresses in Auckland for others to collect, in one instance supplying 9kg.
Justice Gordon said while the man was not the operation's ring leader, he was high up in the supply chain which warranted a minimum non-parole period.
She said the 33-year-old was deported under the Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Act 2015, despite having lived most of his life in Australia.
The Judge said the man had said he was a drug user himself and saw drugs as a way to earn money and set himself up in New Zealand.
