$20,000 cannabis ca haul

bu busted at booze checkpoint c

He was green as, as they say.

He was also Green by name, and it was up to $20,000 worth of green that landed him in Napier District Court after a chance bust that uncovered a rubbish bag filled with cannabis in a vehicle stopped at a drink-drive checkpoint.

The details unfolded after William Don Green, 27, of Napier, appeared in court yesterday and admitted a charge of possession of cannabis for supply.

A police summary says a vehicle in which Green was a passenger, one of three occupants, was stopped at a checkpoint about 12.15am on March 31 (Easter Saturday).

Police noticed the aroma of cannabis and first found a “cannabis utensil” on the floor, initiating a search in which “five pounds of packaged cannabis head” was found in the boot. Smaller amounts were found on the driver and Green, the frontseat passenger. Police say they were told by one occupant the trio were on their way to swap the cannabis for a car and cash in Bay View, on behalf of Green, and that all three were taking a cut of the cash. Green pleaded guilty before Judge Bridget Mackintosh and was remanded to appear for sentence on August 10, with the judge seeking a report on whether home detention was a suitable penalty. Alleged co-offenders Russell James Clough, 28, and Jay Reuben Gibson, 30, have denied the charge and are due to appear in court again on September 10.