Bay man jailed for running meth lab

A Te Puna man caught manufacturing P after armed police uncovered his personal meth lab in December has been jailed for
34 months.
But when the Tauranga armed offenders squad turned up at 46-year-old Paul Hegarty's Te Puna Rd home with a search warrant at 7am on December 22, he refused to vacate the property and police had to fire a number of CS gas canisters into the address to force him out.
The rented cottage on a family orchard is owned by a Hegarty family trust. A comprehensive search of the address by police and the clandestine laboratory investigation team revealed various equipment, materials and substances used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
In the kitchen and lounge was a one-litre white plastic bottle  full labelled Amazing Haste acetone, a packet containing 48 tablets of Coldral cold and flu tablets, a box of 24 Nurofen tables, and a 500ml white plastic container one quarter full of Tergo spirits of salt.
Also found were pH test strips, three pH meters, an electrical hotplate, plastic and glass pipettes, baking dish, plastic funnels, reaction flasks some containing residues, coffee and filter papers, a metal and coil condenser, glassware and a steam distiller with a modification to the outlet.
A plastic bottle of hydrogen peroxide solution, a packet of DampRid approximately half full of white flaky material and a plastic bottle of methylated spirits was also found in the same area.
Inside a wooden shed was a plastic bottle with 20 millilitres Amazing Haste toluene - a precursor substance commonly used to manufacture P - and a large metal urn containing approximately 50 millilitres of a brown liquid pH9 which also had powdery residues on the inside.
In the bedroom was a catalogue relating to ephedrine products.
Hegarty, who earlier admitted one count each of possession of precursor equipment, materials and substances with intent to use them to manufacture methamphetamine plus one count of manufacturing the drug, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court yesterday by Judge Louis Bidois.
Crown prosecutor Hayley Booth, who sought a prison sentence starting at 3years, said the Crown accepted that this was "low-level non-commercial manufacture" of methamphetamine, and a discount of less than 20 per cent was warranted for guilty pleas entered on trial arraignment.
Hegarty's lawyer Paul Mabey QC said while there was no dispute in the starting point, a discount of at least 20 per cent for guilty pleas was justified.
Judge Bidois said while there was no commercial aspect to Hegarty's offending, and he was assessed at low risk of reoffending and highly motivated to address his drug problems, a deterrent sentence was required for those who involved themselves in manufacturing drugs, particularly methamphetamine.
 
Hegarty is fortunate that his family are continuing to stand by him, the judge said.
Judge Bidois said the aggravating features of Hegarty's offending include the number of charges and they include possession of precursor materials, equipment and substances  which were intended for use in the future, had he not been apprehended.
But Judge Bidois said the mitigating factors were strong, including the prospects for his drug rehabilitation if he commits himself to do the  courses. The judge allowed a 20 per cent discount on a sentence otherwise of three years and six months.