Cocaine and $45k cash seized from Queenstown home
Drugs including cocaine, MDMA and ketamine were found in a police swoop on a Queenstown property which also netted $45,000.
Now a 39-year-old man faces multiple charges including offers to supply LSD, possession of cocaine, and possession of MDMA.
Detective Sergeant Miriam Chittenden said the property was raised yesterday morning.
Following the arrest, a search found varying amounts of ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, cannabis, and psilocybin.
Digital scales were also located, alongside $45,000 cash, Det Sgt Chittenden said.
"We work hard to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs within our community as we see first-hand the serious impacts and harm from these illicit drugs every day."
The 39-year-old man is due to appear in Queenstown District Court on Monday May 12.
He is charged with multiple charges including offers to supply LSD, offers to supply psilocybin, possession of cocaine, and possession of MDMA.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Wiping of phone ‘idiotic', judge says
A Wānaka woman committed an "act of unpardonable folly" by wiping the contents of her phone while under suspicion of importing psilocybin, a judge says. However, Judge Raoul Neave granted Skye Marie Spencer, 33, a discharge without conviction in the Queenstown District Court this week on the grounds a conviction would have a disproportionate impact on her employment and immigration status. Police executed a search warrant at Spencer's home last year after suspecting her of importing the class A drug, a psychedelic drug also known as magic mushrooms. Her refusal to provide access to her cellphone meant the officer in charge was unable to put it in flight mode, which would have protected its contents. Although he placed the device in a Faraday bag to block electromagnetic interference, it underwent a "remote wipe" as soon as he removed it from the bag at Wānaka police station, Judge Neave said. The defendant, who used her laptop to wipe the phone immediately after the search, later told police she had personal material on the device she did not want them to see. She later admitted a charge of attempting to obstruct the course of justice, entering the plea after ESR analysis found the substance she had imported was not psilocybin. Judge Neave said the Crown's position was she had intended to destroy evidence of her attempt to import the drug, and police were unable to retrieve the deleted material. That was at odds with the submissions of defence counsel Paige Noorland, who said police were able to complete a full investigation, and retrieved at least some of the data. Ms Noorland said Spencer's wiping of her phone may have been deliberate, but was also "naive, fleeting and opportunistic". Judge Neave said the defendant claimed her actions were unrelated to the drug allegation, and motivated by a wish to keep material of an "intimate, personal nature" from the prying eyes of the police. "Assuming that were true for the moment, whilst understandable, she had rather forfeited the right to those sorts of decisions when she was so stupid as to start to import a Class A drug," he said. Despite her claim that she did not realise the seriousness of importing psilocybin, it must have been "blindingly obvious" that wiping her phone after receiving a search warrant was a criminal act. There was irony in the fact she may not have appeared in court at all but for her "idiotic actions on the spur of the moment". Turning to the discharge application, Judge Neave said the defendant had two long-standing jobs that required her to travel overseas, especially to the United States. Although her employers remained supportive, a conviction would make that travel more difficult, and put her current and future employment at risk. Because she was an Australian national, it would also make her eligible for deportation. Losing her immigration status would jeopardise her relationship with her partner, who was a New Zealand citizen. She had no previous convictions, and otherwise appeared to be a "responsible, hard-working and well-regarded young woman". For those reasons, he decided the consequences of a conviction outweighed the seriousness of her offending and granted the discharge.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Liquor store hit by students drinking less
A North Dunedin liquor store owner says his business has been hit by students consuming less alcohol. Leith Liquorland was up before a district licensing committee yesterday for an application to renew its off-licence. The application faced objections from police, Ministry of Health delegate Anthony Whipp, and Bede Crestani, the father of University of Otago student Sophia Crestani who died at a Dunedin flat party in 2019, over its proposed trading hours. The store is licensed to sell alcohol between 9am and 10pm, seven days a week, but the objectors wanted that to be reduced to 9pm. During the hearing, committee chairman Colin Weatherall said while he understood the need for the committee to focus on issues relating to alcohol harm, he felt there needed to be a wider discussion about issues such as drug-related harm. Leith Liquorland owner Chris Hart agreed. "It's a huge frustration as a retailer. "Five years ago, I didn't know what MDMA was." When the ODT later asked him to clarify his "frustration", Mr Hart said it was a frustration "that all these things get brought into the same conversation when they're totally different". Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Steve Jones said the changing drug landscape was outside the remit of the committee's decision-making, but needed to be mentioned. "I think as a collective, the agencies and the licensed premises community, building awareness around the impact of drugs and providing education is the way forward." Mr Hart agreed and pointed to research that showed young people were drinking less. Asked whether the decline in young people drinking had led to a decline in sales, Mr Hart said this was the case. In his opening statement, Mr Hart told the committee he was a "safety first" retailer who cared about the community and viewed his liquor licence "as a privilege, not a right". He said he was a proactive retailer who took measures to minimise harm, such as not selling single-serve alcohol, and taking steps to remove all Nitro 1.5 litre drinks from the premises a few years ago due to health concerns. He said "75%" of alcohol at the store was sold in cans as opposed to glass bottles, while the staff had regular refresher training about their responsibilities. Asked about the potential for more harm if the store was open for longer, Mr Hart said he dealt with "more refusals" between 4pm and 7pm than he did from 9pm to 10pm. Serious incidents were dealt with, but "nine times out 10" these people did not cause much trouble after they were warned or refused entry. He did not operate every night until 10pm, he said. Mr Crestani told the committee recent emergency department data showed higher presentation numbers when off-licences were open for longer. He asked for a closing time of 9pm, but also said there needed to be a national approach to such issues, and more of a level playing field. "What I've seen in the applicant's document is that he is a good operator." Sgt Jones said there were "high levels of trust and confidence in the applicant". However, he said the area he operated in had "high vulnerability". The broader community had made it clear they had issues with broken glass, Sgt Jones said. He also focused on the proposed operating hours and hinted at the prevalence of alcohol-fuelled poor behaviour after 9pm. The committee reserved its decision.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
More than alcohol the issue — owner
Leith Liquorland. PHOTO: ODT FILES A North Dunedin liquor store owner says his business has been hit by students consuming less alcohol. Leith Liquorland was up before a district licensing committee yesterday for an application to renew its off-licence. The application faced objections from police, Ministry of Health delegate Anthony Whipp, and Bede Crestani, the father of University of Otago student Sophia Crestani who died at a Dunedin flat party in 2019, over its proposed trading hours. The store is licensed to sell alcohol between 9am and 10pm, seven days a week, but the objectors wanted that to be reduced to 9pm. Chris Hart. PHOTO: ODT FILES During the hearing, committee chairman Colin Weatherall said while he understood the need for the committee to focus on issues relating to alcohol harm, he felt there needed to be a wider discussion about issues such as drug-related harm. Leith Liquorland owner Chris Hart agreed. "It's a huge frustration as a retailer. "Five years ago, I didn't know what MDMA was." When the ODT later asked him to clarify his "frustration", Mr Hart said it was a frustration "that all these things get brought into the same conversation when they're totally different". Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Steve Jones said the changing drug landscape was outside the remit of the committee's decision-making, but needed to be mentioned. "I think as a collective, the agencies and the licensed premises community, building awareness around the impact of drugs and providing education is the way forward." Mr Hart agreed and pointed to research that showed young people were drinking less. Asked whether the decline in young people drinking had led to a decline in sales, Mr Hart said this was the case. In his opening statement, Mr Hart told the committee he was a "safety first" retailer who cared about the community and viewed his liquor licence "as a privilege, not a right". He said he was a proactive retailer who took measures to minimise harm, such as not selling single-serve alcohol, and taking steps to remove all Nitro 1.5 litre drinks from the premises a few years ago due to health concerns. He said "75%" of alcohol at the store was sold in cans as opposed to glass bottles, while the staff had regular refresher training about their responsibilities. Asked about the potential for more harm if the store was open for longer, Mr Hart said he dealt with "more refusals" between 4pm and 7pm than he did from 9pm to 10pm. Serious incidents were dealt with, but "nine times out 10" these people did not cause much trouble after they were warned or refused entry. He did not operate every night until 10pm, he said. Mr Crestani told the committee recent emergency department data showed higher presentation numbers when off-licences were open for longer. He asked for a closing time of 9pm, but also said there needed to be a national approach to such issues, and more of a level playing field. "What I've seen in the applicant's document is that he is a good operator." Sgt Jones said there were "high levels of trust and confidence in the applicant". However, he said the area he operated in had "high vulnerability". The broader community had made it clear they had issues with broken glass, Sgt Jones said. He also focused on the proposed operating hours and hinted at the prevalence of alcohol-fuelled poor behaviour after 9pm. The committee reserved its decision.
