Two men involved in an international drug importation scheme have been sentenced in the Dunedin District Court, with one jailed and the other spared prison after being described as an unwitting “catcher”.
Anthony Hawker, 31, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment, while Reghan Laurie, 24, was sentenced to home detention when they appeared before Judge Emma Smith on Friday.
At the time of the offending, Hawker was unemployed while Laurie was a student at the University of Otago.
Family members filled the public gallery, with Hawker’s relatives watching on and Laurie supported by his partner and sisters.
The pair briefly acknowledged each other as Hawker joined Laurie in the dock.
The court heard the offending occurred over a “relatively short period” of about six weeks, between January 6 and February 21, 2025.
A New Zealand Customs Service investigation uncovered a wider syndicate importing Class B and C drugs, including MDMA and ketamine, into New Zealand.
Nine packages were identified as part of the operation.
Hawker was linked to six of them, while Laurie was involved in collecting three.
The scheme involved encrypted messaging and aliases.
A handler would monitor incoming parcels, redirect deliveries to commercial addresses in Dunedin, and instruct “catchers” on how to collect them using false names and cover stories.
Messages recovered from Hawker’s phone identified others higher up the chain, including a user referred to as “BUGATTII II” and another codenamed “BRX3”, who directed activity. Their identities were not established.
Court documents show packages were often disguised as everyday items, including car parts and “yoga equipment”, to avoid detection.
Hawker was paid about $2000 to $2500 per package, earning at least $18,000 over roughly two months.
Three intercepted packages alone contained more than 16kg of MDMA.
Other shipments were successfully imported, though the exact quantities remain unknown.
A separate package containing ketamine was intercepted in Louisville, Kentucky, United States.
Authorities overseas examined one shipment concealed inside an exercise ball, which was found to contain several kilograms of ketamine, before it was allowed to continue its journey as part of the investigation.
In sentencing, Judge Smith questioned Hawker’s involvement.
“What on earth were you thinking?” she said.
She noted he had been drawn into the operation during financial hardship after a friend suggested he could make quick money.
Hawker told probation he initially had little understanding of the scale of the operation and considered himself a “middle man”, not a drug user.
Hawker claimed he was later pressured to continue, including being threatened, but the Crown disputed that account and it was not part of the agreed summary of facts.
He later expressed guilt and shame, acknowledging the wider social harm caused by drug distribution.
Judge Smith accepted Hawker had limited authority within the syndicate and was acting under direction, but said he still played a significant role and profited from it.
Starting from a sentence of about six years, uplifts for additional offending were applied before discounts of about 40% for factors including his guilty plea, difficult upbringing, and mental health issues such as ADHD and PTSD.
He was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison.
Laurie’s role was described as more limited.
Judge Smith said he acted at Hawker’s direction, with no financial gain and little understanding of the wider operation.
“You simply found it hard to say no… when you should have said no,” she said.
Laurie told report writers he believed he was doing a favour for a friend and did not appreciate the scale of the offending.
While on electronically monitored bail, he completed counselling, community work and made significant rehabilitation efforts, including submitting a master’s thesis, which the judge described as “above and beyond”.
There was no evidence he received any payment for his involvement, the court heard.
Starting from a sentence of about three years’ imprisonment, Laurie received a 45% discount for his guilty plea, rehabilitation and personal circumstances, bringing the end sentence below the threshold for imprisonment.
He was sentenced to seven months’ home detention, with concurrent terms on the remaining charges.
The court ordered the destruction of drugs found at Hawker’s home and the forfeiture of cash seized during the police investigation.
In closing, Judge Smith acknowledged the families present, saying the case would have come as “a great shock”.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.