Importation of 'date rape' drugs admitted

A Christchurch man has admitted importing two substances that have become known as date rape drugs.

Twenty-two-year-old Kane Michael Barker was due to go on trial in the Christchurch District Court next week.

But agreement was reached today between the defence and the crown on the amount of drugs involved, and when the charges were read to Barker he changed his plea to guilty.

Judge Michael Crosbie remanded him on bail for sentencing on July 21.

He told Barker that the granting of bail and the preparation of a home detention report was no indication that he would stay out of prison.

The crown is pressing for a jail term of at least four years.

Barker’s offending dates back nearly three years. He admitted importing the drug 1,4 butanediol on 16 occasions in 2006 and the drug gamma butyrolacetone – also known as GBL – in 2007.

Both are listed as class B drugs under New Zealand legislation.

The date rape drug is known as GHB. Material on the Internet says both types of drugs imported by Barker were used to bypass United States restrictions on GHB. The drugs rapidly convert to GHB once they have been ingested.

Barker got a sentence of 160 hours community work two years ago after admitting possession of a zip-gun made out of a 10cm tube, and 88 rounds of .22 ammunition, as well as 2.7g of cannabis.

Barker told police at that time that he smoked cannabis “to keep off crack and P” and the pistol was for protection because he had previously mixed with some rough people.