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Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Drug smuggler gets eight years

Amy McGillivray
Bay of Plenty Times·
3 Jul, 2014 10:00 PM2 mins to read

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A Tauranga man who smuggled more than $250,000 worth of drugs into the country has been sentenced to eight years' jail.

Joseph Lance Evans, 52 appeared before Judge Christopher Harding in Tauranga District Court yesterday.

He earlier pleaded guilty to 12 charges of importing and supplying methamphetamine and cocaine.

Evans was already serving a six-and-a-half year jail term for kidnapping and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection. Yesterday's jail term would be added to his previous sentence.

Evans admitted bringing in large quantities of the drugs in laptops imported from the US between June 2012 and January 2013.

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He claimed he was importing the computers to refurbish and sell.

Evans was convicted of one charge each of importation of cocaine and methamphetamine, three charges each of possession of methamphetamine for supply and supplying the drug, and two charges each of possession of cocaine for supply and supplying cocaine.

Crown prosecutor Nick Belton told the court Evans was estimated to have smuggled 660g of P and 378g of cocaine, which could have been turned into about 139g of the pure version.

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Judge Harding revealed Evans admitted he was selling the methamphetamine for $8000 an ounce and the cocaine for $6000 an ounce.

The judge conceded the amounts were not precise as police used the 220g of methamphetamine and 130g of cocaine seized to estimate the total amount imported.

He described Evans' offending as being of a serious nature.

"Aggravating this offence was the frequency of the importing and the period over which it occurred. This was highly premeditated and this was high-end commercial importation of a scale fortunately, not often seen in this court."

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Judge Harding agreed a starting point of 14 years for the drugs offences was appropriate, but reduced that to 12 years to take into account Evans' guilty pleas and a letter of remorse he had written to the court.

However, he ruled that a total of 18 years in prison taking into account Evans' current sentence, would be inappropriate and disproportionate for his total offending.

The judge reduced the end sentence to eight years with a minimum non-parole of 50 per cent taking Evans' total time in prison to 14 years.

"A deterrent sentence is required," Judge Harding said.

By the numbers
*660g of methamphetamine
*$8000 an ounce
*$186,000 total
*378g of cocaine
*$6000 an ounce
*$80,000 total

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