NZ Centre for Political Research

Carjacker sentenced to two years in jail
By Matthew Theunissen

9:48 AM Wednesday May 2, 2012
A man who carjacked a woman and her young daughter during a 24km police chase through Auckland was high on methamphetamine and could barely remember it, a court has been told.

Tony Temoananui, 19, was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment when he appeared in Auckland District Court this morning.

He previously pleaded guilty to six charges, including robbery, reckless driving causing injury and other driving charges.

The court was told he was on home detention when he stole his sister's car to go to see his ex-partner.

The car smashed through a fence in Clendon, south Auckland, early on September 15.

Police pursued it briefly but abandoned the chase after it turned on to busy Roscommon Rd.

The police Eagle helicopter tracked the car as it entered the Southwestern Motorway, drove "erratically'' around Mangere Bridge, returned to the motorway and exited on Hillsborough Rd.

The vehicle continued to Kinross Rd in Hillsborough and hit a car, forcing it to stop.

Temoananui pulled driver Nikhat Ibnul out and she just managed to get her 2-year-old daughter Zuhaira out of the car before he drove it away then smashed into a ute in Blockhouse Bay.

Judge Emma Aitken told the court Temoananui drove in a manner which "provided some of the worst set of facts that I have seen as a district court judge''.

The court was told he had been under the influence of methamphetamine, and he could barely remember his actions that day.

"You could have killed someone and you could have killed yourself,'' Judge Aitken said.

When imposing the sentence she came to a starting point of four years' imprisonment but this was reduced to two years and six months due to several "very positive factors'' .

She accepted that Temoananui was "deeply sorry'' for his offending, and took into account his youth, his attempts to make amends with his victims and to address his drug problem.

She also gave him the full 25 per cent discount for his early guilty plea.

"I am very impressed with the mental movement that you have made, with the time that you have taken, Mr Temoananui, to think about the harm you caused, the harm you could have caused, and where you want to end up, going forward in your life.''

- APNZ

http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/in-print/2010 ... abies.aspx

Latest Issues of New Zealand Doctor Newspaper
March 24 2010
‘P’ babies on same track as crack babies

International researchers have found signs that P babies may be on the same developmental track as crack babies who are more likely to steal and take illicit drugs by their early teens.

A study of nearly 100 New Zealand P babies shows babies exposed to methamphetamine in utero can develop the same neurobehavioural deficits as crack babies.

The worst affected had neurobehavioural profiles almost identical to those of cocaine-exposed babies, who were found in an earlier study to be the most at risk.

That study found babies exposed to cocaine in utero were more likely to start stealing and/or exhibit some kind of psychopathology by age 11, and to smoke tobacco or take illicit drugs by age 14.

Linda LaGasse from Rhode Island's Brown University, US, presented the interim results of the New Zealand arm of the Infant Development Environment and Lifestyle (IDEAL) study at an international conference on infant, toddler and preschool mental in Auckland last month.

There was no increase in medical problems during pregnancy in the mothers who used P during pregnancy and no increase in physical damage, such as cleft lip, among their infants.

However, the 98 newborns exposed to pure methamphetamine in utero showed more signs of stress, poorer movement and lower arousal than 108 matched controls and, at one month, still showed more signs of stress.

There was no significant difference in cognitive development at one year.

Newborn results were similar in the US arm of the trial, where 204 meth-exposed babies and 208 matched controls have been monitored for five-and-a-half years so far.

By age three, the meth-exposed children in the US cohort had no deficits in developmental status, language, motor performance or behavioural problems, compared with the control children.

However, by 5.5 years, the meth-exposed group were showing more externalised behaviour problems, poorer inhibitory control and less ability to practise sustained attention.

Dr LaGasse says the effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure during infancy are smaller than initially feared, but she warns that they may increase with age.

In the study of prenatal cocaine exposure, for example, the effects did not really show up until school age, when cocaine-exposed children show more IQ deficits, special education needs, externalising behaviour and psychopathology, she says.

The US and New Zealand arms of the IDEAL study are continuing and, because of the different healthcare systems in the two countries, offer a unique opportunity to untangle the effects of prenatal drug exposure from the effects of the environment in which a child grows up.

For example, in the US, meth-exposed babies were more likely to be smaller for their gestational age than control babies. This difference did not exist in the New Zealand babies, whose mothers were more likely to receive home healthcare.

School locked down after alleged drug-fuelled attack
1:06 PM Thursday May 3, 2012

A Pirongia primary school was placed on lock down this morning as police tracked down an armed man who had allegedly carried out a drug-fuelled attack on his wife.

Police were called to a service station in the town at about 5.45am by a woman who accused her husband of threatening her with a firearm while they were in the car.

The woman had escaped the assault.

However, piecing together a picture of the incident was difficult as the woman had admitted using methamphetamine, police said.

Inspector John Kelly said Pirongia Primary School was placed on lockdown as armed offenders squad members and local police tracked the alleged offender to a Beechy St house.

The offender soon gave himself to armed police around the corner from the property, Mr Kelly said.

"By their very nature domestic violence incidents are always unfortunate and when you add firearms and illegal drugs into the mix you have the potential for a tragedy to occur."

A 37-year-old man was being interviewed over the incident.

Police were searching the Beechy St house.

- HERALD ONLINE

Dawn raid at North Shore P-lab
LISA HONEYBONE
Last updated 14:52 02/05/2012

LATEST: A Northcote street was cordoned off early today when the armed offenders squad raided a P lab.

A 53-year-old man faces two drugs charges and will appear in the North Shore District Court tomorrow.

He was one of three people at the Sylvan Rd home when police descended on the property at 5.30am.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Libby said the home was "well known" to police.

Fire crews were used to decontaminate police staff and the three people at the house in the dawn raid.

Police found chemicals and a specialist clan lab team will carry out a forensic examination for the rest of the day.

Arrests after drugs found in boot
Last updated 11:49 27/04/2012

Three men have been arrested in a month-long Thames drug operation that saw them find over a kilogram of cannabis in a carboot ready for sale.

Inspector Dana McDonald said the arrests would have a huge impact on reducing crime in the area.

"Earlier this month officers carried out a search warrant of a Thames address which resulted in a 29-year-old man facing nine charges in relation to firearms, cannabis, methamphetamine, cannabis oil and cannabis resin found at the address," he said.

"Then last week, building on the information picture they have been building up, officers went to a Whiritoa address where a 42-year-old man was arrested who faces charges for manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of equipment and chemicals used in the manufacture of that drug and possession of the finished product as well."

Information obtained from the first arrest saw them later stop a vehicle in Thames which had been stolen from Opotiki, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

When they searched the car they found over 1kg of cannabis which was packaged and labelled for sale, two firearms and some balaclavas.

A 36-year-old man was arrested and charged with 13 drugs, firearms and theft of motor vehicle charges.

Given the quantities of drugs and equipment located and information obtained Mr McDonald said it was expected that the operation had seriously disrupted the illegal drug trade in the Eastern Waikato.

Man caught with 'bonanza' of weapons, drugs and cash
3:50 PM Thursday Apr 26, 2012

A 39-year-old man has been arrested after being caught carrying a "bonanza" of weapons, drugs and cash in his car at Dairy Flat north of Auckland.

Police said the man was taken to Orewa police station for questioning after he was spotted acting suspiciously on State Highway 17 at 3:40am on Anzac Day.

Officers who searched his car uncovered methamphetamine, almost $12,000 in cash and a taser stun gun disguised as a cell phone, police said.

Another bag found in the boot of the car contained $170,000, a loaded 9mm pistol and pre-cursor chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

The arrested man was set to appear in North Shore District Court today charged with possession for supply of methamphetamine, possession of a pistol, possession of a restricted weapon and failing to stop for police.

The offences carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

- HERALD ONLINE

Rotorua woman pleads guilty to meth charges
Abigail Hartevelt | Monday, April 23, 2012 12:58

A Rotorua woman who has pleaded guilty to methamphetamine-related charges is already in jail after being sentenced last year for similar offending.

Tina Jessica Turner, 47, had been due to stand trial in the High Court at Rotorua today but pleaded guilty to a
representative charge each of possessing methamphetamine for supply, conspiring to supply methamphetamine,
supplying the drug and offering to supply the drug. The offending was committed at Rotorua between June 26 and September 18, 2009.

A representative charge means the offending occurred on more than one occasion.

In June last year Turner was sentenced to three years and 10 months' jail after being found guilty by a jury in the High Court at Rotorua of possession of methamphetamine and cannabis for supply. She had also pleaded guilty to charges of possession of cannabis, methamphetamine and drug utensils.

In relation to those charges she was sentenced for she and an associate were targets of a police electronic surveillance operation in which their text messages and phone calls were intercepted.

In 2009 police stopped the associate driving Turner's BMW as they headed towards Rotorua at Mamaku and found about 25g of methamphetamine, 37g of cannabis, and $12,600 cash, as well as utensils for smoking the drugs and scales, plastic bags and straws used to divide it into smaller quantities for sale.

The summary of facts in relation to the charges she pleaded guilty to today was not yet available.
Crown prosecutor Amanda Gordon said the Crown was seeking forfeiture of Turner's BMW.

Justice Paul Heath has remanded Turner in custody for sentencing on May 1 and said the forfeiture of the car would be determined on that day.

Cops catch hundreds of stoners behind the wheel
By Jamie Morton
5:30 AM Monday Apr 16, 2012

New Zealand's drug-driving scourge has been described as a "hidden epidemic", with latest figures showing hundreds of people have been caught stoned behind the wheel.

The figures, released to the Herald, show police caught 568 drugged drivers between the introduction of the anti-drug-driving law in November 2009 and February this year. The vast majority were men.

The problem has been highlighted in a recent series of TV ads showing the real-life reactions of secretly filmed New Zealanders when told the driver of their car is high on drugs.

The Automobile Association and the Drug Foundation said New Zealand's focus on drug-driving was still in its early stages.

"We are at the stage now with drugged driving where we were with alcohol 30 years ago," foundation executive director Ross Bell said.

"The whole alcohol culture change has been around ads, Breathalyser technology and having cops out on the road. With drugged driving, we are only just beginning to convince people that this is a problem, and that we need to deal with it.

"Our research shows there's a bit of a blase attitude among people who use drugs and drive ... They think it's an okay thing."

AA spokesman Dylan Thomsen said drugged driving was a "hidden epidemic on our roads".

He noted a recent study that found of 1046 drivers who died in crashes between 2004 and 2009, about 35 per cent had cannabis or other drugs in their system, either on their own or in combination with alcohol.

Other studies had found just one in 10 New Zealanders thought drugged driving was a problem on our roads and a third of the people who had used drugs in the last year said they had driven after taking them.

The two groups are at odds over whether the Government should adopt saliva testing used in Australia - one of the AA's election calls.

Mr Bell believed New Zealand had to settle for road-side impairment tests until technology enabled police to use a Breathalyser-style device.

A regional breakdown showed the Bay of Plenty consistently recorded the highest rate of prosecutions, making up a fifth of the national tally.

Bay of Plenty's road policing manager, Inspector Kevin Taylor, believed the rate reflected a continued focus by his staff on drugged drivers.

"My gut feeling is we have invested in training, the staff are pro-active in dealing with it, and there are a high number of available people to catch."

Bay of Plenty police took to the law change "with both hands" when it was introduced, Mr Taylor said.

"Our guys are stopping drink drivers at check-points pretty regularly, and we thought why not go the next step. We trained a significant number of staff, probably as many or more than most other districts."

The 116 drivers nabbed in the region compared with 70 caught in Waitemata, which had the second-highest rate, followed by the Central region, where 63 had been charged.

Counties-Manukau and the Eastern region showed the lowest totals - both 21 - and while most of the drivers caught nationally were aged between 25 and 39, teenagers still accounted for 20 per cent of the total.

Last year, sickness beneficiary Danny Kasipale, 36, was jailed for driving while high on cannabis and pills. He crashed into five cars while speeding along Dominion Rd in Auckland.

He said he felt he "just won Lotto".

Waikato's most wanted for this week
WAIKATO TIMES
Last updated 17:09 26/04/2012

A violent, gang member known to use methamphetamine and a prolific burglar are on Waikato police's wanted list for this week.

And police say neither of the men should be approached.

Sergeant Matt Cranshaw of Te Awamutu police said a warrant has been issued in lieu of summons for the arrest of 21-year-old Ngaruawahia man, Isaac Paul, in relation to cigarette burglaries and unlawful takings carried out in Cambridge and Ngaruawahia on 11 April.

"Paul's type of offending involves the theft of a motor vehicle which will be taken to a business premises where the burglary will be carried out and then he and his associates steal another vehicle to make their escape.

"We believe Paul is actively avoiding police and he has fled officers on several occasions with pursuits being abandoned due to the nature of the offender's driving. We believe he is likely to be travelling as a passenger or driving a stolen, white 1999 Toyota Townace van, registration number EMY40."

Paul is described as a male Maori, of thin build and about 170cm tall.

Anyone with information on Paul's whereabouts is asked to contact Mr Cranshaw at Te Awamutu Police Station on 07 872 0100.


Meanwhile, Morrinsville police warn a gang member wanted in relation to an alleged violent domestic assault and kidnapping is using methamphetamine frequently and should not be approached.

Sergeant Neil Faulkner of the Morrinsville Police said 34-year-old Barney Terauaroha Te Hau, a patched member of the Mongrel Mob Rogue adult gang, is alleged to have seriously assaulted and kidnapped his estranged partner over 12-14 April.

"Te Hau is also believed to be the driver of a car that fled police on 15 April that was found abandoned outside a property on Hamilton's eastern outskirts and a warrant for his arrest has also been issued in relation to a breach of probation.

"A male Maori of medium to solid build and about 180cm tall, Te Hau is believed to be travelling between Hamilton and the Hawkes Bay. We advise people not to approach him as he is known to be heavily using methamphetamine and is subject to frequent, violent, mood swings."

Anyone who sees Te Hau or who has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Brent Burne at the Morrinsville Police Station on 07 889 5071.

Man admits drug, theft charges
Last updated 11:56 24/04/2012

A Blenheim man faced a raft of drug and theft charges after police searched the house where he lived.

Daniel Garbett, 26, admitted charges of property theft, procuring and possession of cannabis, procuring and possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine utensils, and receiving property worth more than $1000 when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.

Judge Stephen Harrop ordered him to pay $750 reparation for receiving a stolen item, $350 for property theft, and sentenced him to nine months' supervision. He was also fined $400 and $500 respectively for possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Graham Single said police searched Garbett's home about 7.55pm on March 19. They found a 1 gram bag of methamphetamine, a glass pipe for smoking, a 513g bag of cannabis, $350 of Marlborough District Council road signs and a stolen mountain bike valued at $750. Garbett said the methamphetamine was for personal use, and that he found the bag of cannabis at the river.

The Marlborough Express

New police unit nabs drug dealers, weapons
MICHAEL FOX
Last updated 05:00 23/04/2012


A new get-tough police unit in South Auckland is notching up major success, nabbing big-time drug dealers and thieves, and uncovering huge arsenals of guns and other weapons.

The Counties-Manukau Road Crime Unit focuses on using routine vehicle stops in a move to clamp down on criminals and "deny them the use of the road".

Coups for the unit include catching a man posing as a police officer and armed to the teeth, a prolific thief and an alleged P-cook affiliated with the Head Hunters, as well as busting a major cannabis-growing operation and dial-a-tinnie drug dealers.

All have been caught when the unit has pulled them over for minor traffic infringements.

The 24-member team was created following the addition of 300 extra staff in Counties-Manukau in 2010.

Acting Sergeant John Nicol says their focus is on using routine vehicle stops to clamp down on criminals: "Pretty much all criminals drive and we've been actively targeting them, denying them the use of the road."

Instead of pulling cars over and issuing traffic infringements, the unit's officers carry out "dynamic vehicle stops" where a driver's details are run through the police database to see if any of they have links to crime, whether the vehicle is stolen or been "rebirthed" and is roadworthy.

New smart devices allow officers to run the details they have been given to ensure the occupants aren't lying, with the devices flashing up photos to check against the occupants if they are on the police database, and displaying their criminal history and whether they have any outstanding issues.

If officers notice weapons, drugs or property which may have been stolen, they have powers under a variety of legislation to carry out vehicle searches.

In several cases, those searches have lead to major busts:

- On April 6 an off-duty officer from the team spotted a disqualified driver on the road in Howick. Officers went round to his property and noticed the strong stench of cannabis. A subsequent search of his house found a hidden room containing a hydroponic cannabis operation with 4.5kg of dried cannabis and a dozen immature plants. The smell was from an extractor fan which expelled the air outside. The man also had a $2500 unpaid electricity bill.

- On April 15 a man was pulled over driving through a red light. Senior Sergeant Pete Marriott found a knife, cannabis and white powder which turned out to be an unknown substance which the man was selling as P. He lied and gave the name of a convicted killer recently released from prison and was arrested.

- Early last year Nicol pulled over and arrested a man who did a burnout in front of him. The driver was known to police but only for minor infringements. A thorough inspection of the car led to the discovery it was stolen, having been "taxed" by the Head Hunters gang. Police obtained a search warrant for the man's house and uncovered a major cannabis-growing operation. Subsequently on the police radar, he was later arrested in relation to the manufacture of methamphetamine and is currently before the courts on those charges.

"It's gone from relatively unknown, doing a minor traffic violation to be quite a big player in a criminal organisation," Nicol said.

- In 2010 Nicol saw a man avoid a breath-test checkpoint and pulled him over. Nicol then noticed a police bullet-proof vest in the car. A search of his car and home led to the discovery of an arsenal which included police and army clothing, 20 or 30 firearms, ammunition, imitation grenades and imitation police glocks and Bushmaster rifles.

"Pretty much if you were to use the traditional method of policing you would probably have let him go, however something didn't seem right," Nicol said. The man's car was also set up like a police car with lights and sirens. He had previously tried to join the police and the army.

Nicol said officers are also regularly busting "dial-a-tinnie" operations run by the King Cobras gang.

Young men in their late teens or early-20s, who hoped to join the gang, were cruising South Auckland neighbourhoods delivering cannabis tinnies to order and at one stage, one crew per shift was being nabbed by the team's officers, Nicol said.

"One guy that I recently pulled over and stopped was found to have 7500 text messages in relation to the sale and supply of cannabis and that was over a 10-day period. And they're making thousands of dollars in relation to it and obviously this all goes back to the gangs," he said.

They were also exchanging stolen property for cannabis which was contributing to the high rate of burglaries.

The unit has found criminals were actively committing traffic offences, leading to their demise.

"For instance we'll go into a mall and we'll target the handicap parking and they'll be people on active warrants and they just seem to not give a damn about any of the law and they're the ones who are committing these minor offences."

Through being encouraged to spend more time inspecting cars and their occupants, officers had a better idea of what to look for.

"It's just a matter of doing this type of work and the more you do, the more you get pretty much," he said.

Jail looming, judge warns drug cook
ROB KIDDLast updated 05:00 14/04/2012

A P cook and addict has been given a warning by a judge who said she had "mucked up" many other lives, not just her own.

Leslie Tumahai, 27, of Hamilton, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine (P) and precursor substances before her appearance yesterday at Hamilton District Court.

A more serious charge of manufacturing the drug was dropped by the Crown and she was eventually sentenced to five months home detention and 150 hours community work.

The offending took place when she was in a relationship with Royce O'Reilly and became involved in the production of P at his Cambridge property.

According to the Crown's summary of facts, Tumahai had control over the precursor substances and some of the equipment, and was assisting him as the principal cook when police found the clandestine laboratory in August 2010.

O'Reilly was earlier handed a three-year jail term but the court was told that Tumahai was essentially involved in the offending only to guarantee her own personal supply.

Despite her diminished culpability, Judge Philip Connell said: "Generally people who commit offences like this go to jail".

He told Tumahai that even minor breaches would see her end up in jail.

"You've got a gun to your head to maintain your current drug-free state."

Tumahai had recently been in rehab but checked herself out after five weeks because she missed her new boyfriend.

Judge Connell said it was not only she who was affected by the offending.

"You were a supporter of his and it must be said... you assisted him in getting P out on the street to muck up other people's lives like yours has been mucked up".

Fake marriage helps drug trafficker stay
By Jared Savage
5:30 AM Monday Apr 23, 2012

An African drug dealer entered a sham marriage with a woman he met within weeks of arriving in New Zealand to help him get residency.

Sylver Dube was found guilty of more than 80 methamphetamine charges in the Auckland District Court last month and now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The 35-year-old arranged for parcels of the Class-A drug to be posted from South Africa and Nigeria to hotels around Auckland, which he then picked up. Dube was caught with 200g of methamphetamine in February 2010 and is estimated to have supplied nearly 1kg of the drug - with a street value of almost $1 million - over a four-month period.

Born in South Africa but raised in Nigeria, Dube came to New Zealand on a visitor's visa in March 2009 and met Auckland woman Tihere Ford a few weeks later. The pair's marriage certificate shows they wed in Manukau on July 24, 2009.

After his arrest, Ms Ford told police they did not live together but he paid her $100 a week for board.

The arrangement was to help him with his immigration into the country.

Ms Ford later gave evidence against him at trial, where their marriage was described as a "sham".

The couple agreed in court that Dube stayed in Ms Ford's home only two or three nights a week, and shared a room with her teenage son.

Dube then used his stepson to send money to Nigeria and South Africa through Western Union transfers.

Some of the transactions were completed in the name on a stolen driver's licence. More than $450,000 was sent to Africa in the four months leading up to Dube's arrest.

News of the marriage of convenience comes after the Herald revealed on Saturday the existence of an investigation into Nigerian fraudsters and a review of 160 residency applications, which found more than a quarter were based on fraud.

More than 40 residency applications were declined, and eight people were charged in the operation. Three have already been convicted.

The 43 declined applications are mostly from family members of the eight charged, relatives who tried to gain permanent access to the country.

Peter Elms, head of fraud for the Department of Labour, said border controls had been tightened significantly since the Nigerians fraudulently entered the country.

Sophisticated passport scanners had been introduced at airports, as well as pre-screening processes which had decreased asylum claims from a peak of 2000 a year to 300.

Mr Elms said the introduction at the border this year of biodata technology, capturing photographs and fingerprints, gave New Zealand the "single most effective tool in countering identity fraud".

SYLVER DUBE

March 29, 2009: Arrived in Auckland from South Africa.
July 24, 2009: Marries Tihere Ford in Manukau registry office.
February 22, 2010: Arrested on methamphetamine charges. Later convicted.

The most recent police statistics showed that methamphetamine offending in the Western Bay had risen by 22.5 per cent in a year.

And experts say methamphetamine use is now embedded in society.

Note: Methamphetamine USE !!

Which is all the more reason for Government to target the USERS (i.e give families the support they need to intervene in P use) at least as much as the Manufacturers and Dealers.
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P use rife and here to stay: experts
by Ellen Irvine | Friday, April 6, 2012 10:37

A former P-user says use of the drug is rife in Tauranga and it is passed around at parties as casually as a cigarette - with professionals taking the drug.

And experts say methamphetamine use is now embedded in society.

David Benton, director of Tauranga's Hanmer Clinic, said about 10 per cent of people treated by the clinic were addicted to methamphetamine - about 12 new patients every three months.

But he believed those seeking treatment would be only the tip of the iceberg of users of the drug in the Western Bay.

"Whether or not they present for treatment is a whole different issue, and most people present for treatment when the pain of using outweighs the advantages of using.

"Sometimes the precipitating factor for treatment is they have court cases looming over them.

"There are solo mothers, there are businessmen, there are people in gangs. It just crosses the range."

Mr Benton said he would be surprised if there weren't parties happening in Tauranga where white-collar workers were using the drug recreationally.

And he expected there would be "several" Millie Holmes in Tauranga - young women from privileged backgrounds and good families who were hooked on P.

"It crosses a range of society - addiction in general does, and methamphetamine is no different to that. There would appear to be a market among [white collar workers].

"A lot of people who are actually using it or even involved in the manufacture, you might not put them down as criminals on the bare face of it, because they don't necessarily have a criminal record."

The typical age group treated at Hanmer for P addiction was 25-45, although the centre had also treated those as young as 18 - the minimum age - and as old as 50-plus. Men and women were equally affected.

Methamphetamine use had been steady in the Bay in the last few years, and was "highly addictive and highly destructive", Mr Benton said.

"Alcohol can probably take 10 to 15 years for addiction to create sufficient side effects to force people to look at what it's doing to them.

"With P, you can reach that within a month to a year or so. It's a very fast-acting drug.

"It pulls them in very quickly. In order to meet that habit they have got to resort to crime."

Mr Benton had seen people lose businesses, family homes and relationships due to addiction.

New Zealand Drug Detection Agency chief executive Kirk Hardy, a former police detective in the Auckland drug squad, said P wasn't going anywhere.

The agency mainly tested workers using heavy machinery due to safety issues. But if random workplace drug testing was carried out on white-collar workers there was "no doubt" it would catch people.

"It crosses every industry sector and every community. We are never ever going to stop the drug and alcohol issue.

"I don't think you are ever going to get rid of P, or any drug."

Mr Hardy said many of the workers who tested positive for P appeared to be functioning and were holding down a job.

"When someone tests positive for P, we have had the odd comments when the manager has turned around and said 'you have taken out our best worker'.

"They are your best worker for a reason - they are on a stimulant. It's going to make them appear to be working hard but not necessarily safely - they are not thinking straight, cutting corners."
And after the drug wore off - two days after they had taken the drug - there was the danger of "rebound fatigue".

"Their motor skills can be extremely slow, they are tired, heavily fatigued. Fatigue is another contributing factor to risk."

Tauranga Get Smart Drugs and Alcohol Services manager Stuart Caldwell said the service was for young people aged 12 to 18.

He estimated about 5-10 per cent of clients were seen because they were using the drug.

The service dealt with about 80 young people a month. Staff said they tended to be from lower to middle class families.

But Mr Caldwell said P was not the "drug of choice" for the age group - it was alcohol.

Drug educator Pat Buckley said there were definitely teens in Tauranga taking the drug - he knew of one boy who started dealing at the age of 15.

The most recent police statistics showed that methamphetamine offending in the Western Bay had risen by 22.5 per cent in a year.

Tauranga City Council's hazardous substances team leader Jack Travis said last week alone three houses had come to the council's attention needing specialist cleaning because of P contamination.

Last year, there was only one case. In 2010 there were four, and in 2009 there were seven.

Police recover drugs, cash
By: CHRIS HARROWELL | Wednesday, 04 April 2012

• Howick and Botany Times

PEOPLE are being warned to watch out for neighbours carrying electronic equipment to and from residential properties, after cash and drugs were found following the execution of a search warrant.

A 34-year-old motorist was pulled over by police during a routine traffic stop in central Auckland on March 27. A quantity of methamphetamine, or P, was allegedly found during a search of his car.

“The male driver was arrested and charged with possession for supply of methamphetamine,” detective constable James Copeland, of Auckland Central Police, told the Times.

“Later the same day, a search warrant was executed at the man’s property in Flat Bush.”

Police say they recovered from the man’s Te Irirangi Drive home more than $30,000 in cash, 22 laptop computers, 10 television sets and a “substantial” amount of ecstasy tablets and P.

It’s understood members of the man’s family were home when investigators swooped, while electronic property seized at the address has since been linked to burglaries across Auckland.

Police are trying to locate the owners of the equipment, a job made more difficult when the serial numbers haven’t been recorded.

“We encourage people to register serial numbers of all electronic equipment at www.snap.org.nz, and photograph all items of value in the home,” Mr Copeland says.

“It’s very difficult [to trace owners], as we may get a whole stack of stolen property but only three or four items are registered.

“We’re rapt with this discovery and thank Howick Police’s tactical crime unit for its assistance.”

When property is registered at snap.org.nz, its serial number and description can be retrieved and forwarded to police and the victim’s insurer.

Mr Copeland says people living in residential areas need to be watchful for suspicious activity. “If someone is not a known IT expert, who fixes electronic equipment for a living, and appears to be dealing in large amounts of property, that’s something to be aware of.”

An unemployed 34-year-old from Flat Bush appeared in the Auckland District Court last week charged with possession for supply of methamphetamine, and possession for supply of ecstasy, as well as a number of charges relating to receiving stolen property.

He’s remanded in custody and reappears in court later this month.