Meth is highly addictive and causes so much social harm, writes Jo Raphael. Photo / NZME
OPINION
I have never taken illicit drugs and don't pretend to know first-hand the consequences of their use and abuse, and the harm they can cause.
But 17 years in the news industry has given me some idea.
Hardly a week goes by when our journalists aren't tracking drug-related crime through the justice system.
Most of the time, they're small-time or medium-scale dealers, manufacturers and distributors, and many are gang-affiliated.
But sometimes there's a big one.
This week, we reported that drug kingpin and head of the Rebels gang James Patrick Duff was jailed for 15 years after admitting to 31 drugs charges, putting an end to his wide-scale drug operation.
The charges related to dealing meth, LSD, ecstasy and cannabis as well as charges of participating in an organised group, firearms charges and offences where he tried to interfere with justice.
His right-hand man and vice president of his gang, Mark Glassie, was jailed for seven years in February for his part in the organisation after pleading guilty to 13 charges.
The scale of their operation astounds me.
The syndicate operated like a legitimate business: They had board meetings, pricing plan structures, goal-setting, one-on-one catch-ups and reward systems.
Sounds familiar, right? Things a law-abiding person working a regular job could expect from their employer.
However, underneath the corporate-like facade, a more despicable, devious business plan was being played out.
Mafia-like tactics, a price on a debtor's head, coded communication and regular attempts to thwart the justice system were just part of the outfit's modus operandi.
Duff was starting to spread evil throughout the North Island when his activities were halted by police Operation Ulysses in October 2019.
"He is reported as saying 'he fried the town'," Crown prosecutor Anna McConachy told the court at his sentencing.
His offending is a stark example of just how drugs spread like a disease, leaving nothing but suffering in their wake.
During the investigation between July and October 2019, police estimate Duff distributed at least 3kg of methamphetamine, 130 tabs of LSD, multiple ounces of MDMA and about 20 pounds of cannabis.
Even more incredulous, Glassie also held down a legitimate job as a youth worker for an Oranga Tamariki-linked agency where he would provide support, mentoring and role modelling for at-risk youth.
For criminals such as Duff and Glassie, there is big money to be made off people's misery, and it's disgusting.
According to the New Zealand Drug Foundation, illicit drug-related harm costs Kiwis about $1.9 billion annually.
That's a huge financial price to pay.
The social costs to people's health, whānau, friends and the wider community can be harder to estimate but there's no doubt illegal drugs can tear apart families and relationships, spark violence and crime, and cause some people to lose everything they hold dear.
Some people even pay the ultimate price - their life.
The work that police and border authorities are doing to stop drugs is important.
Earlier this month Customs at the Port of Tauranga seized 700kg of cocaine from a ship that came from South America.
The street value of the bust is estimated at $280 million. That's $280m in potential harm had it ended up in circulation.
We know illegal drugs are a major problem but what is the answer?
How do we break the cycle of big-time criminals such as Duff and Glassie growing up and wreaking harm?
The questions are easy to ask, but the answers aren't as evident. It's a complicated issue.
One part of the answer is education - at home and school. How can we better teach children at a young age about the harm drugs can do before the scourge takes hold?
Would better support for addicts and users help?
Is it a matter of increasing penalties?
We should have tougher penalties but these are unlikely to effect change on their own. The potential reward is too high and tempting to stop some people from taking risks.
Ultimately, we must help reduce the demand for illegal drugs so it makes things harder for criminals such as dealers and suppliers.
Meanwhile, Duff, Glassie and others like them are better off locked up and are now paying for their own vile crimes.