By THERESA GARNER
Others who imported cannabis and hashish have received harsher sentences than the billionaire who appeared in the Otahuhu District Court yesterday and admitted importing more than 100g of cannabis resin and leaf.
In 1996, a German tourist, Walther Paul Karl-Heinz Burow, was fined $10,000 for bringing in 12.3g of
hashish for his own use, and an Austrian tourist, Torsten Atnickel, was jailed for three weeks for importing 16g.
In 1997, Englishman Christopher Ian Hall got six months' periodic detention for importing 3.4g.
New Zealanders have not got off lightly. Wellington Polytechnic lecturer Adrian Hargreaves, who was caught with 26g of hashish in his underwear at Auckland Airport in February 1998, was given a two-year suspended sentence and fined $5000.
A Californian yachtsman, William Collier, who was caught with half a kilogram of cannabis, was fined $1300 and thrown out of New Zealand in November 1998.
Two years ago, American businessman Robert Lindner, of the Chiquita Bananas empire, was fined $12,500 and thrown out for importing cocaine and cannabis for his own use. He brought in 11g of cocaine, and 8g of cannabis, discovered during an airport strip search.
A number of high-profile figures have been busted while passing through Auckland.
In 1993, American singer Chris Whitley's billtopping trip went up in smoke when an airport dog sniffed out 1.75g of cannabis, the equivalent of two joints, in his shoe. He was refused entry to the country, breaking the hearts of fans.
The same year, Ralph Cato, a member of the hit Irish dance show Riverdance, was arrested for bringing in cannabis. He performed as normal.
In 1997, American blues trio the Holmes Brothers were busted at Auckland Airport. Wendell and Sherman Holmes and drummer Popsy Dixon were fined and had their work permits revoked after they were caught with less than a gram of cocaine and up to 9g of cannabis.
A German family, the Schiers, were deported last year after Guenther Schier failed to declare German drug convictions on his entry to New Zealand 10 years earlier.
