A group of Australians and deportees have been revealed to be the masterminds behind New Zealand’s biggest single drug bust.
Police seized about 500kg of methamphetamine after searching a campervan and sand dunes at Ninety Mile beach, in Northland, in June 2016.
Over the next three years, eight people would be tried and sentenced for the roles they played in attempting to import the stash worth a street value of $150million.
Stevie ‘Marvel’ Cullen, a New Zealander and his accomplice Ka Yip Wan was from Hong Kong were key players in the plot to bring the drugs into New Zealand, the NZ Herald reported.
The remaining crew members were either Australian or living in Australia. Thaey included: Amoki ‘Gravel’ Matito Fonau, Jeremiah ‘Thugga’ Lustini, Ulakai ‘Tall Guy’ Fakaosilea, Malachi ‘Mack’ Tuilotolava and Selaima ‘Blaze’ Fakaosilea.
Ulakai had been in an Australian detention centre, before he was deported back to New Zealand three days before his arrest.
Another accomplice is only known as ‘Witness X’ due to a permanent suppression order after they became a key witness in the Crown’s case against Cullen and Fakaosilea.
At the centre of the network is understood to be the mysterious ringleaders known only as ‘Big T’ and ‘Riller’.
A group of Australians and deportees have been revealed to be the masterminds behind New Zealand’s biggest single drug bust
Police seized about 500kg of methamphetamine after searching a campervan (pictured) and sand dunes at Ninety Mile beach, in Northland, in June 2016
A court heard Witness X was born in New Zealand though moved to Australia. He had met Big T at a party in 2015 where he talked about potential work.
Stuff reported Witness X was given a suitcase with its lining stuffed with bags of money and told to deliver it to Bangkok.
Witness X was later sent to work in New Zealand where he was introduced to ‘Thugga’ and ‘Mack’.
He would transport methamphetamine around the country and collect hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Witness X told the court a plan had been devised to pick up a large shipment of meth from a boat sitting off the west coast.
As they picked up the 500kg worth of drugs, they would also drop off supplies such as food, petrol and water.
Witness X along with Mack, Gravel and Tall Guy and two ‘Chinamen’ first attempted to reach the boat in a fibre glass bayliner, though the swell had forced them to turn back.
The group decided to purchase a $98,000 rigid hull-inflatable assault boat.
Stuff reported Witness X told the court the next venture to the boat waiting offshore was a success.
The boat returned to shore filled with duffel bags, which were loaded into a four-wheel drive and then campervan.
Witness X said a plan was hatched to pick up about 500kg of methamphetamine from a boat sitting offshore
Witness X along with Mack, Gravel and Tall Guy and two ‘Chinamen’ first attempted to reach the boat in a fibre glass bayliner (pictured), though the swell had forced them to turn back
Two other duffel bags meanwhile were buried in the sand.
The campervan was taken to a campground when locals had found the boat still at shore and called police to the scene.
Hearing the news, Witness X said Gravel and Tall Guy left to ‘take care of the boat’.
Witness X had been told to take the campervan to Taipa Beach, despite not knowing where it was.
Off-duty detective constable Thomas Nankivell had been driving home from work when he spotted the campervan.
Suspicious of the vehicle, he verified the number plates and pulled Witness X over.
‘I pulled over and the police officer came around to the door and I thought ‘it’s all over’ from there,’ Witness X told the court.
About 500kg of methamphetamine was found after the campervan and sand dunes were searched.
Witness X told the court a plan had been hatched to drive a boat off 90 Mile Beach (pictured) and meet up with a larger boat sitting not too far offshore
Selaima Fakaosilea (pictured) denied any role in smuggling the meth into the country but was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months on Wednesday
Fonau pleaded guilty to one charge of importing methamphetamine, possessing methamphetamine and participating in an organised criminal group.
He was sentenced to 22 years in prison in June 2017.
Yip Wan was sentenced in the same month to 23 years imprisonment.
Tuilotolava pleaded guilty to one charge of importing meth and participating in an organised criminal group.
He was sentenced to 24 years in prison in October 2017.
Ulakai Fakaosilea was slapped with a 22 year and nine month sentence and Lusitini was given 25 years and seven months in December 2018.
Selaima Fakaosilea denied any role in smuggling the meth into the country but was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months on Wednesday.
She is currently serving a 14-year and six month sentence stemming from a separate police investigation into the wider infrastructure of the drug ring.
Cullen also denied a role in smuggling the methamphetamine but was handed a 27-year jail sentence on Wednesday.
Witness X was handed a 12-year jail sentence.
Cullen also denied a role in smuggling the methaphetamine and was handed a 27-year jail sentence on Wednesday