A 17-year-old Auckland secondary student was today jailed for four years for importing methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $250,000.
Chun Lee, also known as Larry Lee, was sentenced in the High Court at Auckland after having previously pleaded guilty to one charge of importing the drug.
The offence occurred in April, when 272 grams of methamphetamine were found in a package containing hairdryers that had come from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
Electrical components in the hairdryers had been removed and in their place were round metal tins, in which the drug was concealed.
The starting point for sentence was nine years, but Justice Hugh Williams took into account mitigating factors.
These included Chun's youth, his guilty plea and his belief that the importation was of pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient used in manufacturing methamphetamine.
Lee was a pupil at Takapuna Grammar School when he was charged and his bail conditions at the time allowed him to continue attending classes and to keep his job at a fast food outlet.
However, discussions between the school and Lee's parents led to a decision to have him home-schooled instead.
