A life demolished by meth
A former construction boss has pleaded guilty to his role in a methamphetamine drug dealing operation.
Yesterday, Lauchlan James MacMillan appeared in the New Plymouth District Court, via audio-visual link from Whanganui prison, and pleaded guilty to five drug charges.
The charges, some of which are representative, include possessing methamphetamine for the purpose of supply, supplying the class A drug to people and offering to sell it.
The offending took place in New Plymouth between July and October last year, and prior to a series of raids carried out by Taranaki police where several people, including MacMillan, were arrested.
Previously, MacMillan had pleaded not guilty to 30 drug charges and elected jury trial but following his change of plea, he will now be sentenced on February 14.
Two of his co-offenders – Bailey Ngawaina Goodridge and Shannon Lewis O’Donnell – also appeared at yesterday’s hearing and each pleaded guilty to representative charges connected to the drug operation. They will be sentenced alongside MacMillan in February.
MacMillan’s defence lawyer, Susan Hughes QC, told the court that bail would be sought for him ahead of sentencing to allow him to attend a drug rehabilitation centre.
Judge Maree Mackenzie said bail was not opposed by the Crown, on the basis it was to the treatment centre, and she would deal with the matter when the appropriate paperwork was filed. In the interim, MacMillan was remanded back into custody while Goodridge and O’Donnell remain on bail.
Prior to his arrest, MacMillan had been the managing director and shareholder of Fowler Homes Taranaki. In October last year, police cordoned off the Fowler Homes Taranaki offices, at the intersection of State Highway 3 and Corbett Rd in Bell Block, and also seized a luxury sports car belonging to the defendant from a Fitzroy
address as part of its operation.
A month on from MacMillan’s arrest, Fowler Homes New Zealand cut ties with his company, which was put into liquidation owing creditors more than $1.2 million.
The owner of Fowler Homes Christchurch, Ivan Stanicich, subsequently stepped into the breach to complete construction of homes left unfinished in aftermath of the criminal proceedings being laid against MacMillan.
During his time in the construction business, MacMillan had been a long-term supporter of community events and clubs.