Jailed meth cook promises to reform

The man behind one of New Zealand’s biggest methamphetamine laboratories is back in jail for importing, supplying and – once again – manufacturing the drug.

But Craden Matthew Hohepa Williams’ latest attempt at cooking meth did not work out. It ended up ruined and all over his mother’s driveway.

Williams was sentenced in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday to 61⁄2 years’ jail on four charges related to the importation, supply and manufacture of methamphetamine.

Text messages show he met an associate and gave them methamphetamine – police do not know the exact amount. The pair also discussed the quality of the drugs and importation.

Between July and August 2017, Williams imported the drug three times.

The first package, addressed to his mother’s place, contained a pair of Chinese slippers. One slipper contained 180 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the sole.

The second package, addressed to his deceased grandfather in O¯ po¯ tiki, was intercepted by Customs. It contained a Chinese slipper with 199g of the drug hidden in the sole.

The third was a printer delivered from Nigeria, addressed to an associate in Foxton.

Customs initially searched the package for GST reasons, but found 154g of methamphetamine hidden inside.

The manufacturing happened on August 15, when Williams was at his mother’s house.

He went out to the driveway to produce the drug, in what Judge Lance Rowe said was better described as an attempt to ‘‘wash’’ or purify already-cooked methamphetamine.

However, one of the dishes Williams was using broke, spilling the drug on the ground.

Williams admitted everything to police when he was arrested.

He was jailed in 2012 for manufacturing methamphetamine.

At the time, his lab was described as one of the biggest seen in New Zealand.

He was on parole for that when he committed his latest offences.

Pastor John Stone, from Te Whare o te Redeemed Fellowship, told the court before sentencing that Williams was opening up about his problems and had a real desire to change.

Sending him to jail, with drug dealers and gang members around, was not in his best interest, Stone said.

‘‘If we don’t fix it now, the epidemic of methamphetamine will continue in our community.’’

Crown prosecutor Michael Blaschke acknowledged the work Stone had done, and that it was helping deal with the methamphetamine problem.

However, the law was clear on the sentence, he said.

The judge said methamphetamine was ruining lives, with drug dealers ‘‘playing on the misery of drug addicts’’.

Although Williams’ history was poor and offending while on parole for similar crimes was serious, his desire to change was real, the judge said.

Many members of Williams’ wha¯ nau were in court and the judge hoped they would support him during and after his prison term.