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Home / New Zealand

Meth cook's mum's unwitting involvement in son's P production

Belinda Feek
By Belinda Feek
Open Justice multimedia journalist, Waikato·NZ Herald·
23 Feb, 2022 03:52 AM5 mins to read

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“Currently in New Zealand the best way to make money is to sell Methamphetamine.” Fighting the Demon explores the business of meth.

A man became so ensconced in his drug habit, he lured his unwitting mother into his offending, leaving her with a criminal conviction.

The mother of Matamata man Steven John Griffiths now has a money laundering conviction after being involved in the sale of a car, in just a string of incidents the 36-year-old now has nine years and three months' to contemplate after being jailed in the High Court at Hamilton.

Griffiths, 36, was imprisoned on multiple drugs charges, including the manufacture, supply and offering to supply methamphetamine, possession of precursor materials and participating in an organised criminal group after being arrested as part of the Waikato police Operation Gulfport in 2020.

Police found Griffiths was manufacturing P in two different properties in Matamata and another in Waharoa, while items associated with the manufacture were found at the third property.

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The crown submitted Griffiths produced up to 1.6kg in the three months during which police carried out the operation, and supply P on three occasions totalling 802g.

He was also found to offered to supply P on two occasions totalling 28g.

Griffiths was found at one of the properties where the manufacturing was being undertaken or stored, along with a "substantial" amount - 5kg - of precursor materials.

About 390g of P was also found in a beacon - which had his fingerprints on, a further 164g of P was found hidden in a bush and another 25g was discovered in a glass jar.

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As Griffiths wasn't associated with the criminal group he was producing the drugs for, Justice Graham Lang found his role was still significant, given they relied on him to produce the drugs and without him that couldn't happen.

Given the seriousness of the offending, crown prosecutor Rebecca Mann urged the judge hand down a minimum non-parole period of 40 per cent.

She noted a pre-sentence report where Griffiths initially felt pressure to manufacture, given his reputation as a "good cook", later he found the manufacture was more enjoyable than smoking it.

He was paid in cash for his endeavours and at one point was spending up $20,000 a week at the casino.

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"This was a commercially motivated endeavour rather than an endeavour caused by any addiction on his part."

Griffiths' counsel, Kerry Tustin, urged Justice Lang to take into account her client's addiction issues, the steps he had begun to take to rehabilitate himself while on remand and that he wouldn't challenge a forfeiture order put forward by the crown.

She also noted his mother being unwittingly drawn into her son's offending.

"His mother was charged ... on the basis that money went through her account that he was given ... to buy a motor vehicle."

She admitted the sale to police who then charged her with money laundering and she was subsequently fined $2000.

"These [parents] are people with no previous convictions. This had long-term effects, what has happened with their son. They are honest, hard-working and naive to their own detriment."

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However, despite what happened they still supported their son and they had offered him work in their family business once he was a free man.

Justice Lang outlined a starting point of 12 years in his sentence indication in December.

He then added uplifts for Griffiths reoffending so quickly after serving a sentence of home detention for attempting to manufacture P in 2018, as well as offering to supply precursor materials, coming to an end sentence of 14 years.

He came to nine years and three months and ordered a 40 per cent MPI be served.

'Parents wanted everything for their son'

A cultural report prepared for the court, Justice Lang said Griffiths had come from "a very privileged upbringing", unlike many offenders who end up before the High Court, with a close and supportive family.

However, Griffiths took that attention as an intrusion into his life and became rebellious at school.

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His disruptive attitude was also likely impacted by his dyslexia and subsequent learning difficulties which saw him eventually leave school without any qualifications.

While he held down casual jobs, by the age of 16 he had discovered P and was taking it at parties, and by the age of 20, he was addicted, consuming it on a daily basis.

His wage was able to suffice for a short while until he eventually became a dealer and later, a cook.

He was soon deriving significant profits and enjoying his work but it would soon turn "tragic" with his mother being charged.

"This resulted in her receiving $2000 fine and no doubt caused the family very considerable distress given the fact she had not been in trouble before," the judge said.

Justice Lang told Griffiths his biggest hurdle would be when he's finally free from prison, given his reputation as a meth cook.

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"You are now well known as a skilled manufacturer of methamphetamine.

"You will undoubtedly find that your services are in demand again by those who are engaged in the distribution of methamphetamine.

"You will need to work very hard not to again be caught up in offending of this type."

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