Guilty plea after raid nets over $20k

Two women have admitted methamphetamine charges after a police raid in which more than $20,000 cash was seized.

Located under the bed in a bedroom at a Napier house was $5100 of loose cash, in a handbag there was a further $16,000 in cash bundles, a summary of facts revealed.

Sharleen Ellen Wereta, 30, and Marie Margaret Wereta, 49, stood side-by-side before Judge Max Courtney in the dock at Napier District Court on Wednesday.

Another woman was initially charged alongside them, but her charge was withdrawn.

Marie Wereta pleaded guilty to receiving and possessing methamphetamine.

She was sentenced to 80 hours' community work on the charge of possession and a further 40 hours for receiving.

The summary of facts, in relation to Sharleen Wereta supplying methamphetamine, stated that between January 1 and February 11 she had been living at two different addresses, one of them was identified by several sources as a place where methamphetamine was sold.

This address has a surveillance system in place with a camera positioned in the car port overlooking the driveway and the street. It has a live feed which can be viewed from a mounted TV in one of the bedrooms.

There is also a large pair of wooden gates which are "routinely closed and padlocked" the summary states.

Police identified text messages sent between Wereta and people she was supplying to.

At 3.36am on January 21 an associate text Wereta " ... miss mighty mite be heading your way".

The defendant responded "ok will I'll tell you now anty I'm gona give him a puff not much tho do u no if he got any $ tho".

At 6.45pm on February 4 the defendant text an associate saying "milk powder is here".

At about 1.30pm on February 11 the police searched the property and found four large snaplock bags in the bedside drawers - all containing about half a gram of methamphetamine crystals.

In the same drawers a set of scales used to measure illicit drugs was found.

Unused ziplock bags for packaging methamphetamine were found in adjacent drawers.

A small red diary was also found, in it were transactions, commonly known as "tick lists" detailing amounts of drugs supplied, the name of the person supplied, and the monetary sum they paid or still owe .

A further page was entitled "milk" and reflected amounts including $800, $1500 and $4500 and the fact they had been paid.

"These figures corroborate that the defendant has sold minimum of one gram a week in the period of her offending," the summary states.

On February 11 the defendant told police about $3000 of the money found under her the bed was hers and that it was to be used for buying a car.

A month later the defendant was re-interviewed, she denied that the cell phone was hers and refused to make further comment.

Wereta was remanded on bail and will return to court for sentencing at the end of this month.