Death from drug deal gone wrong

A bag of methamphetamine was snatched from the hand of a critically injured young man who fell from a speeding car in Porirua when he saw a drug deal was going wrong.

Sosiua Helotu Ula, 19, suffered massive head injuries.

Wade Edward Niania, 32, had just $300 but the drugs he wanted from Ula were worth about $40,000 bought in bulk, and perhaps $70,000 sold on the street. Police said he was intending to take the drugs.

Niania, of Titahi Bay, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and kidnapping when the original murder charge against him was dropped at the High Court in Wellington yesterday.

Ula, of Wiri, Auckland, died in hospital about two days after falling from Niania’s Mercedes on Warspite Ave in Waitangirua, Porirua, just after 4pm on October 7, 2018.

A police summary said Ula had 140g of methamphetamine to sell and thought Niania, a patched Mongrel Mob member, was the buyer, but Niania was already in significant debt to several criminal gangs.

Ula got into Niania’s Mercedes in a Waitangirua carpark and there was a disagreement over payment.

Ula went for

adrive with

Niania, asking the driver of the car he had arrived in to follow them.

When the two cars became separated by traffic Ula asked Niania to stop the car but Niania sped up.

Approaching a roundabout Ula thought he had a chance to escape and opened the car door.

But Niania went through the roundabout at more than 70kmh, overtaking cars so he could maintain his speed.

Ula was still holding the bag of drugs as he leaned his upper body out of the open car door but the speed of the car and the side-toside movements made it harder for him to hold on.

Another man in the car tried to grab him but Ula kicked out so he wouldn’t be touched.

He lost his grip and fell. The bag of methamphetamine he was still holding split open.

As people ran to help him, Niania turned his car around, went back and took the bag from Ula’s hand, yelling out: ‘‘He stole this from me.’’

Soon after Niania rang police and said his Mercedes had been stolen.

Ula died two days later. Niania’s plea of guilty to manslaughter was on the basis that he had killed Ula by detaining him without his consent and driving dangerously so he fell from the car.

At the time

Niania was disqualified from driving, which he pleaded guilty to along with having methamphetamine intending to supply it.

Niania told police later that he fled with Ula in the car because he thought Ula’s driver had a firearm.

Niania is in custody pending sentencing in February. He was not convicted in the meantime so he could finish a drug and alcohol treatment course only available to remand prisoners.

He also asked for a restorative justice meeting with Ula’s family.

Police said in the past five years 264 people in Porirua and the Ka¯piti Coast were charged with having methamphetamine and utensils to use the drug.