Drug baron faces losing ill-gotten gain

Ronald Terrence Brown was in February sentenced to 11-1/2 years' imprisonment after admitting to importing ecstasy, LSD and methamphetamine, and the Crown is now claiming some of his ill-gotten gains. File photo / NZ Herald

Former drug baron Ronald Terrence Brown will spend his 66th birthday in prison this week as he battles illness and court action which could take away what remains of his millions.

Brown made his money by importing ecstasy and methamphetamine through a sophisticated network involving laundered money, forged identities, and ingenious methods of international drug transporting.

He drove a Porsche GT3 valued at $275,000 - one of his collection of six luxury cars - despite claiming the unemployment benefit for nearly 20 years.

In February, he was sentenced to 11-1/2 years' imprisonment after admitting importing ecstasy, LSD and methamphetamine, and using a passport in a false name - Richard Charles Gunn.

In the High Court at Auckland today, Justice Mark Woolford ordered that Brown forfeit to the Crown nearly $900,000 cash, $60,000 worth of jewellery and his six cars valued at $440,000.

Brown's lawyer David Reece said his client was seeking to retain his share of his Westmere property as its forfeiture would cause undue harm to people not involved in his offending, including his severely disabled son.

Brown had also suffered a series of debilitating strokes recently and would need a secure home to go to when he left prison, he said.

Justice Woolford adjourned the matter for one month to allow Brown time to recover so he could make his case to the court.

Brown's arrest followed a five-month investigation which began in 2008 when Australian authorities intercepted a container from Lithuania containing a large granite sculpture in the shape of a column, with 28kg of methamphetamine concealed inside.

Enquiries revealed that four stone sculptures from the same source had been imported, which police found were sent to Brown by Lithuanian drug magnate Rokas Karpavicius, who fled from New Zealand in 2001 while facing charges of importing cocaine.

Police said the sculptures had contained class A and B drugs.

Brown also couriered a Harry Potter book from Spain which had 35 tabs of LSD hidden in the spine.

The police summary of facts said payment for the drugs would be carried out by Karpavicius, who arranged for his associates to travel to New Zealand and collect the money and distribute it overseas.

Two of these ``money mules'', Martynas Cikas and his girlfriend Irina Mejeraite, were supplied with about $1.3 million by Brown while they were here.

Customs found 37,000 euro ($NZ74,415), US$99,000 ($NZ134,598) and NZ$122,000 in their luggage, along with false passports which they had used to wire money overseas.

Brown also set up a company called Chamo - the name of his dog - to re-route funds, and got his associates to clean drug money by depositing and then withdrawing cash from their own bank accounts.

He was also alleged to have been the intended recipient of a computer monitor intercepted in Germany which had 10,000 ecstasy tablets inside, with a street value of up to $1 million, but this charge was withdrawn.

A search warrant on his home found a small plastic container buried in the back garden containing about 1000 ecstasy tablets, with a street value of up to $80,000. There was also about $6000 strewn across his dining room table.

Police also seized about $60,000 cash from a bar he owned on Auckland's Karangahape Rd -- the K Rd Ballroom -- and about $300,000 from his bank safety deposit box.

The Solicitor General said Brown made about $4.5 million from his offending and was seeking a pecuniary penalty order from the court, which would see Brown give up his money and assets, including his 50 percent share in his Westmere property, which the Auckland Council valued at $1.45 million.

He turns 66 on Thursday.

- NZPA