Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga father loses everything after dealing synthetic cannabis to lift his family out of poverty

Sandra Conchie
By Sandra Conchie
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·AAP·
16 Jan, 2019 08:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

In 2017 Detective Sergeant Kelly Farrant delivered a message from NZ Police around the dangers of synthetic drugs. Source: NZ Police

A Tauranga father has had a house, car and cash seized by the court after admitting to dealing synthetic drugs.

Davey Terawi Toitoi, 37, who was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on Tuesdayearlier pleaded guilty to three charges relating to dealing and possessing synthetic cannabis and money laundering.

His partner Ana Maria Griffin, 38, also pleaded guilty to the same three charges and is due to be sentenced on February 27.

The court heard that between January 1 and July 4 last year, Toitoi and Griffin lived on Waimapu Pa Rd with their five children and two other family members.

Together they bought bulk amounts of synthetic cannabis and packaged it into smaller 1.3g bags to be sold for $30 a bag.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The couple let their friends and other family members know they had synthetic cannabis for sale and between January 1 and July 4 sold about 5.1kg, valued at $117,810.

Toitoi and Griffin spent $20,000 of the proceeds towards a Chrysler vehicle, registered under the name of Toitoi's nephew.

Another $57,000 was used to buy a house which was moved on to their property, the court heard.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

During a search of their home on July 4, police found 50 ziplock bags in a freezer containing about 65g of synthetic cannabis, which if sold was worth about $1500.

A further 8kg of the drug was found inside the boot of a vehicle at the property which could have been sold for $184,000.

More than $40,000 cash was also found hidden in Toitoi and Griffin's bedroom, in a cabinet and inside some children's clothing.

Toitoi told police he was selling synthetic cannabis so he could afford to replace their 100-year-old house which was falling apart and no longer suitable for his kids to live in.

Discover more

Judge defers synthetic cannabis dealer's case

03 Aug 07:00 PM
New Zealand

Head of mental health quits after damning report

05 Sep 06:34 PM

Tough stance needed on psychoactive substances

23 Oct 03:39 PM
New Zealand

Drugs seized at Port of Tauranga a small portion of Auckland seizures

07 Jan 05:31 PM

Toitoi also told police he had planned to pay for another house for his family.

His lawyer Jonathan Myers said this offending was a "significant fall from grace" for Toitoi, a "naive and simple man" who did not appreciate the harm he was causing and was remorseful.

"My client instructs that this offending arose out desperation and poverty rather than from greed, although it went beyond that by the time he was apprehended," he said.

Forfeiture orders were signed in the High Court last year for almost $41,000 in cash, the new house, and a car.

Judge Thomas Ingram told Toitoi "nothing less than a prison sentence could ever be appropriate".

"Everyone knows synthetic cannabis is illegal in this country and why. There have been a significant number of deaths linked to its use in the past two years," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Judge Ingram said he accepted Toitoi was "completely remorseful" and also took into account his full admissions and co-operation with police.

"I accept you're not a person who cynically engaged in this type of offending and your motives were a good deal purer than most people coming before the courts.

"But this was clearly premeditated behaviour and I must take into account the harmful effects for the people who purchased these products from you."

Where the drug money went

$117,810 profit was made from selling about 5.1kg of synthetic cannabis between January 1 and July 4.
The defendants used the money for:
- $20,000 towards a Chrysler vehicle
- $57,000 to buy a relocatable house
- More than $40,000 cash was planned to be used for another house

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Hot-box' murder: Accused says rival gang bigger issue than patched member's theft

17 Jun 07:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

On The Up: Pie-fecta - Pie King's trainees claim top prizes in apprentice showdown

17 Jun 03:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Stars in the sky': Mountaintop Matariki ceremony to honour lost loved ones

17 Jun 12:00 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Hot-box' murder: Accused says rival gang bigger issue than patched member's theft

'Hot-box' murder: Accused says rival gang bigger issue than patched member's theft

17 Jun 07:00 AM

Defence counsel says Mark Hohua died after falling on to concrete steps while fleeing.

On The Up: Pie-fecta - Pie King's trainees claim top prizes in apprentice showdown

On The Up: Pie-fecta - Pie King's trainees claim top prizes in apprentice showdown

17 Jun 03:00 AM
'Stars in the sky': Mountaintop Matariki ceremony to honour lost loved ones

'Stars in the sky': Mountaintop Matariki ceremony to honour lost loved ones

17 Jun 12:00 AM
'We won't be funding it': Roads for 8000-home development debated

'We won't be funding it': Roads for 8000-home development debated

16 Jun 08:41 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP