‘Likeable rogue’ drug kingpin
On the face of it, Peter Gane was a nearly-retired diesel mechanic for a bus company in Christchurch who loved spending time on his yacht.
However, a covert police investigation, which listened to dozens of phone conversations, last year outed the 66-year-old as a drug kingpin in charge of a syndicate that grew large amounts of cannabis in the Marlborough Sounds.
Gane – described as a ‘‘rough diamond’’ and a ‘‘likeable rogue’’ – used his 16.5-metre white ketch, Solaris, to sail the waters of the popular South Island holiday spot and visit several outer islands, where he would tend to plots with the help of two brothers, Andrew and David Stuart.
The cannabis, once harvested and dried, would be distributed across the South Island, netting the group, according to conservative police estimates, nearly $1 million over seven years.
However, the drug operation was fraught with danger.
No-one knew that more so than Gane, who was caught running a similar scheme in 2002.
He was jailed on that occasion for four years and stripped of $200,000 worth of assets, including a 14m yacht, a Naiad boat and a Nissan Navara truck.
A decade later, Gane was arrested again after staff on board the Wellington police launch, which was patrolling the Marlborough Sounds near Blumine Island, saw him throwing bags of cannabis into the water from a small alloy boat and gave chase.
He was convicted of possession of cannabis for supply, court documents say.
Then, in April and May 2014, police had two encounters with Gane, which suggested he might be growing cannabis again.
The first came as he left Waikawa Bay Marina, near Picton, in a small boat that smelt of cannabis.
On board police found six hessian sacks with soil on them. Gane had $1100 cash on him, which he claimed was earned by selling a car.
Several weeks later staff at Portage Hotel in the Marlborough Sounds alerted police to a vehicle, which belonged to Gane, in the car park. It had been there for six days.
Inside was chicken netting, 20 litres of an unknown liquid, bedding and clothing.
In November 2014, police launched Operation A, an investigation into Gane’s activities.
Several months later, as it came time for the cannabis harvest, detectives obtained a warrant to tap his phones.
According to court documents, they listened to conversations where Gane talked with associates about being on a ‘‘busman’s holiday, painting and stuff’’ and ‘‘watching paint dry’’.
Investigators believed the conversations were code for harvesting and drying cannabis.
A week later, on April 24, 2015, armed police searched Solaris, which was moored in Waikawa Bay.
They found more than 25 kilograms of cannabis, with a street value of between $154,000 and $220,000, below deck on drying trays and in boxes and bags. David Stuart was on board the yacht at the time.
It was one of the largest cannabis busts in Marlborough in the past decade.
Gane and the Stuart brothers were arrested and later admitted charges relating to what police described as a well organised commercial cannabis growing operation.
They were jailed last month. Gane’s sentence of three years and six months’ imprisonment was the toughest.
A source who had dealings with Gane described him as a ‘‘rough diamond’’ and a ‘‘likeable rogue’’.
It’s unlikely Gane will enjoy the fruits of his dodgy dealings.
He stands to lose up to $575,000 worth of his assets – the yacht, two small boats, a ute and two properties, including his Christchurch home – which were seized by police under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009.