Cocaine couriers had 'misguided' loyalty

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Two cocaine couriers have been sentenced to jail after police found over $750,000 worth of the class A drug in a hidden suitcase.

Samantha Margaret Gemmell, 27, and Adrian Marquiss Kemp, 31, had both previously pleaded guilty to one charge of possession of cocaine for supply.

Gemmell was jailed for two years, six months and Kemp received a sentence of two years, 10 months when they appeared at the High Court at Auckland today.

Justice John Priestly said the pair were couriers and had been "driven by a misguided sense of loyalty" when they became involved in the drug ring.

He said the Class A drug was imported into New Zealand on the orders of a UK man who the police say is 28 year-old Daniel McGannan. He now faces extradition to New Zealand to answer charges.

Police say McGannan liaised with a Mexican drug runner David Negrete Nevarez who smuggled cocaine to his contacts in New Zealand.

The 3kg of cocaine seized was hidden in Nevarez's suitcase when he landed at Auckland Airport on a Lan Chile flight from Santiago in December.

The 43-year-old has pleaded guilty to importing and possession for supply of the Class A drug, and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Justice Priestly said Gemmell was asked to collect a sample of the drug from a hotel room before taking the suitcase. Kemp was the next courier in the chain and met Gemmell in a Mission Bay carpark.

Kemp was offered money to transport the drugs but refused to take any payment on two occasions. He handed the package on to Brendan Clarke in Wellington.

According to police, Clarke agreed to find buyers for the cocaine, which was 80 per cent pure, after the original purchaser pulled out.

Police swooped when the Wellington man opened the suitcase to inspect the package.

The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to possession for supply, and will spend four years and eight months in prison.

In sentencing Gemmell and Kemp today, Justice Priestly said he took time off their sentences for the early guilty pleas, their remorse and previously clean criminal records.

"I am weaving into the sentence considerations of mercy to the extent that I am able."

He gave an extra discount for Gemmell, who had suffered mental health issues while being locked up on remand.