Cocaine importer caught at airport
A Christchurch man was caught at Auckland Airport because he was seen to be affected by cocaine — the drug he was trying to import from South America.
He was found in the terminal’s area for passengers departing overseas, rather than his connecting domestic flight, and 97g of the class A drug was found.
“Over-indulgence” in cocaine was apparent, said the sentencing judge.
Home detention was allowed for Lee Dixon, a 33-year-old air conditioning engineer, who had pleaded guilty to the importation charge, at his Christchurch District Court sentencing by Judge David Saunders.
Dixon is already undergoing a drug treatment programme and that will continue while he serves a seven month home detention sentence, with 150 hours of community work. He is banned from possessing illegal drugs and he will have to attend treatment and counselling as directed.
Judge Saunders noted that Dixon had already beaten his addiction issues but had relapsed on his trip to South America when he became involved in the party scene.
Defence counsel Kerry Cook took the case to a disputed facts hearing before sentencing where Dixon gave evidence and convinced Judge Saunders that the cocaine was for his own use and was not intended for trading. He was satisfied from the police’s inquiries that Dixon was not part of the drugs circle in Christchurch.
Judge Saunders said a jail term was warranted as a starting point for the sentencing, but he reduced the term for Dixon’s guilty pleas and his personal circumstances and granted home detention. He had no previous convictions.
Category: Focus
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