Meth ‘middle man’ jailed for drug dealing

A Nelson man described as a mid-level meth dealer has been sent to prison for more than three years.

Bradley Mason, 36, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison in the Nelson District Court yesterday on 19 charges of offering to supply methamphetamine, and one charge of offering to supply the painkiller oxycodone.

Mason was found guilty at a trial in August.

Judge Tony Zohrab said it was clear that Mason was obtaining drugs from dealers and supplying them to others on a commercial basis.

He disputed the defence’s claim that Mason was not a drug courier as there was no evidence of drug packages in saleable quantities and an absence of a tick list or scales in his possession. ‘‘He was clearly doing more than just picking up drugs and delivering them to someone else.’’

A summary of facts detailed how police obtained information into the sale and supply of meth in Nelson during September 2017.

Data from Mason’s phone was retrieved, and a number of text messages were identified that related to offering to supply meth and oxycodone

Judge Zohrab described Mason as a middle man or mid-level street dealer. The text messages revealed that Mason was involved in the pricing of the drugs and had contacts seeking drugs.

The judge said the amount of methamphetamine identified over a 14-day period was 5.6 grams.

‘‘You were assisting others, as it were, to spread drugs through the community and draw on other people who would then become addicted and need to feed their habits so the business increases.’’

Defence lawyer Tony Bamford said Mason had a drug dependency and had taken steps to rehabilitate himself, but had fallen back into addiction.

He disputed that Mason was a middle man, saying it was more accurate to consider him a broker. ‘‘It was simply enabling him to service his own habit.’’