Dealer passed on drugs cash to gang

Philip Bruce Housham, 51, has been jailed for three years and five months after pleading guilty 28 drug-related charges.

Philip Bruce Housham was selling methamphetamine at street level for the Head Hunters gang and for his efforts has been jailed for three years and five months.

The 51-year-old, from Ruakaka, appeared in the High Court at Whangarei last week after previously pleading guilty to a raft of 28 drug-related charges.

"You were well down the chain but were enthralled to those higher up," Justice Murray Gilbert told Housham.

Housham came to police attention during Operation Atlas, which focussed on the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine in Northland, primarily by the Head Hunters gang.

As a result of analysing text messages, police identified Housham was associated with the gang by selling methamphetamine on the streets. The money he made he turned over to the gangs and was given a cut of the proceeds.

Justice Gilbert said Housham had a life-long involvement with cannabis and in his 20s suffered a back injury which he self-medicated with cannabis to control the pain.

Housham became involved with gangs and started using methamphetamine a year before his arrest after he was known to be a man who sold cannabis. Housham admitted 12 charges of supplying methamphetamine, three of possessing methamphetamine for supply, four of offering to supply methamphetamine and one charge of conspiring to supply methamphetamine.

All these charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

He also admitted three charges of offering to supply cannabis resin, three of offering to supply cannabis and one of possessing cannabis for supply, and a final charge of participating in an organised crime group.

The methamphetamine charges, involving a total of 36g, related to the time period between November 11, 2015 and December 12, 2015, while the cannabis offences happened between October 27, 2015 and December 4, 2015.

Housham was given a 25 per cent discount for the early guilty pleas.

Lawyer Dave Sayes said Housham had participated in drug and alcohol programmes as well as those for anger management while in custody.

On the methamphetamine charges he was sentenced to three years five months' jail, on the cannabis charges 18 months' jail and for participating in a criminal organisation six months' jail, all to be served concurrently.