A man charged after police raided what they said was one of New Zealand's biggest methamphetamine labs has pleaded guilty to two charges - but had 21 others withdrawn.
Charles Huddell Chavannes, 49, pleaded guilty in Hamilton District Court to charges of manufacturing and possessing methamphetamine for supply.
The Crown withdrew 21 other charges that included multiple counts of manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine for supply and drug equipment and firearm charges.
Chavannes' lawyer, Wayne Dollimore, said despite the guilty pleas, a disputed-facts hearing would need to be held to decide the size of the methamphetamine operation.
Chavannes maintained it was only a small operation, and while a large amount of chemicals were found inside the house, he had an interest in science, and the chemicals were unrelated to drug manufacture.
At the time, the drugs bust made national headlines - with a number of news outlets reporting the massive scope of the operation.
Waikato police district operations manager Inspector John Kelly said last year the P-lab was on a scale not seen before in the region and the lab was in the "top five" found in New Zealand.
