Jurors allegedly filmed and intimidated in Tauranga drug trial

One man allegedly tried to film and intimidate jurors and another is accused of contacting a witness in a high-profile Tauranga drug trial.

The trial involving Greazy Dogs vice president Jay Tarahina Kiwi had to be aborted after one man was accused of filming and intimidating jury members and a victim, and another allegedly sent a text message to a witness telling them not to turn up to court.

The Bay of Plenty Times Weekend can today reveal details of the case after Judge Thomas Ingram lifted blanket suppression orders in Tauranga District Court yesterday.

Dylan Cameron, 38, from Bethlehem, and Zeb Enoka Gardiner, 29, of Lower Kaimai Range, were in custody after their August 23 arrests and appeared in court by audio-visual link.

Cameron pleaded not guilty to a charge of wilfully attempting to prevent the course of justice by filming and intimidating jury members at Tauranga courthouse, and filming and intimidating a victim in the criminal trial of Kiwi

Gardiner has denied a charge of wilfully attempting to prevent the course of justice by sending a text message to a witness summoned to give evidence at Kiwi's trial not to attend court.

The offences were allegedly committed on August 22, which was the second day of Kiwi's first jury trial. Judge Ingram then aborted the trial.

A new jury was picked for a second trial which began last week.

That second trial ended on August 29 after Kiwi pleaded guilty to five charges. He admitted two charges of conspiring to supply methamphetamine and a charge of threatening to do grievous bodily harm to a woman, along with two charges of possession of methamphetamine for supply.

Judge Ingram had imposed the blanket suppression orders in relation to Cameron and Gardiner's identities and their charges to preserve Kiwi's right to a fair trial.

In court yesterday, Cameron's lawyer, Craig Horsley, argued for the orders remain in place, but Judge Ingram said he was satisfied there was nothing prejudicial about the media reporting an account of what allegedly occurred during the first trial.

The judge also found there was no legal basis on which he should bar publication.

At yesterday's hearing, the judge granted bail to Cameron and Gardiner to reappear in court on November 10 for case review hearings.

Kiwi's sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 12 in Auckland District Court.

The charges against Kiwi stemmed from a methamphetamine bust at Dunedin Airport on September 9, 2016, and the seizure of potentially thousands of dollars worth of P found inside the boot of a Suzuki Swift in Tauranga, believed to be owned by him.

The jury heard evidence that Kiwi and another man checked in at Tauranga Airport at on September 9, 2016, with "one piece of luggage" each.

But police intercepted them as the pair arrived at Dunedin Airport.

Crown prosecutor Richard Jenson earlier told the court that the other man ran off on foot, throwing a bag containing empty snaplock bags and a glass "P" pipe on to the ground.

Another holding 78g of P was thrown on to the roof of Dunedin Airport, and Kiwi was later found to have $933 and a further $5000 in $50 notes in his luggage.

During a search at Kiwi's address in Tauranga, police also found just over 500g of P inside 17 snaplock bags found in the boot of the Suzuki Swift.

"If sold [that] is hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of meth in the boot of that Suzuki," Jenson told the jury.

A surveillance device warrant police obtained allowed officers to intercept phone calls made by Kiwi between August 12, 2016, to September 9, 2016, in what was described as a police covert operation dubbed "Operation Black Ice".

The court also heard that Kiwi had also threatened to harm a female associate.

Kiwi and the other man also arranged to travel to the South Island over the phone with the intention to fly to Dunedin with a quantity of methamphetamine.

Kiwi's girlfriend booked the flights to Dunedin for the pair on September 7, 2016.

On the same day Kiwi arranged for another woman to buy a white Suzuki Swift which he paid $6900 in cash for, and asked her to register the car in her name, which she did, the court was told.