Meth dealer given 20month sentence

A MONGREL MOB member told police the five bags of methamphetamine and more than $600 found in a bag he was carrying were birthday presents from friends, a court heard yesterday.

Liam Johnston (30) was sentenced to 20 months’ jail when he appeared for sentence before Judge Peter Rollo in the Invercargill District Court on possession of methamphetamine for supply, possession of drug utensils, possession of ammunition and breach of parole conditions, all on March 4.

After Johnston was released from prison and while still on release conditions, police became aware that he was dealing methamphetamine.

At about 4.50pm on March 4, police stopped Johnston as he was leaving a central Invercargill store and arrested him.

‘‘Located in a bum bag the defendant was carrying were five bags of methamphetamine of varying quantities, the total net weight of the drugs was 2g,’’ the summary said.

Police also found electronic scales, clean small ziplock bags and $625.

After his arrest, police executed search warrants on Johnston’s car and boardinghouse room.

They located a further set of scales in the car and 27 rounds of .22 ammunition, more ziplock bags and a methamphetamine pipe.

The summary said he told police he was a methamphetamine addict, it was his birthday the previous day and he had been given the drugs and cash as presents from associates.

‘‘He told police that the electronic scales were to ensure that when he purchased methamphetamine he wasn’t ripped off and that the clean unused bags were used by him to ration it into daily amounts so that he didn’t smoke the methamphetamine all at once.’’

Judge Rollo yesterday said Johnston had a good upbringing where he didn’t want for anything, but things went awry in his later teen years.

Johnston now had aspirations to become a carpet layer.

‘‘There are prospects for you to change your lifestyle for the better with support from those around you.’’

Judge Rollo also made it a prison release condition that Johnston was not to associate with Mongrel Mob associates when released from jail and ordered the destruction of the drug paraphernalia.