Spear and his partner rented the rural accommodation at Karapiro in Waikato, a location known for its lake and world-class rowing venue, in November 2021, through the Airbnb website.
While they were staying there, the accommodation owners, who lived nearby, became concerned about visitors coming and going from the property.
They contacted police, who visited to see Spear run out of the house into the garden, where he tried to get rid of a plastic snap lock bag which was later found to contain 506g of methamphetamine.
He also tried to dump $1590 in cash.
Police searched the Airbnb and a vehicle parked outside. They found a black Adidas bag containing $35,087 in cash bundled up in “bricks”.
In addition to the meth Spear tried to dump in the garden, they found smaller amounts in the house, along with electronic scales, more snap lock bags and a money counter - all common indicators of drug dealing.
They also found two loaded pistols and several “tick lists” detailing drug deals adding up to $100,000.
In total, police discovered 534g of meth on the property, with a potential street value of $267,000.
Spear later pleaded guilty to breaching prison release conditions, two charges of possessing methamphetamine for supply, two of unlawfully possessing pistols and two of possessing cannabis.
He was sentenced in September 2022 to six years in prison.
Police later made inquiries with Inland Revenue and found that between 2016 and 2022, Spears’ declared income came from Ministry of Social Development benefits.
They told the High Court this meant he should have had “limited means” - too little to fund his lifestyle and from which to source the $36,677 in his possession at the Karapiro Airbnb.
In August last year, Spear was interviewed at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison, where he admitted the cash was his but was unwilling to say where it came from.
He did not oppose the police application to forfeit the money under the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery) Act 2009, which aims to separate criminals from their ill-gotten gains.
In the High Court at Hamilton this month, Justice Christian Whata said he accepted that there was a “clear basis” for the $36,677 to be forfeited to the Crown, and issued an order for that to happen.
“More specifically, I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the money is tainted property, having been acquired or derived from significant criminal activity, namely the supply of methamphetamine.”
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.
