Drug boss jailed but says case ‘made up’

A Christchurch woman has been jailed for her role at the centre of a multimillion-dollar synthetic cannabis distribution ring operating from her dairy.

Fei He, 48, appeared for sentencing in the Christchurch District Court yesterday on charges of selling or supplying a non-approved psycho-active substance, and possession of it for supply.

Judge Stephen O’Driscoll said: ‘‘This was offending on a commercial scale. There were significant amounts of synthetic cannabis and cash involved. The offending was motivated by profit.’’

The Crown said the drugs ring had been found in May 2016 with 173kg of the synthetic drugs, with a street value of $3-4 million .

Judge O’Driscoll said: ‘‘This is the largest amount of synthetic cannabis involved in an operation to come before the court in New Zealand. Parliament recognised the harm and damage that was caused by the use of synthetic cannabis and was made illegal.’’

Fei He was sentenced to 28 months in prison, while the man

Fei He has been jailed for 28 months for running a multimillion-dollar synthetic drug ring from her Sockburn Dairy on Main North Rd, Christchurch.

described as her ‘‘lieutenant’’, Sui Jun Zhou, 35, was jailed for 26 months. Another man caught in the police swoop received a home detention sentence.

Fei He told the court she was a hard-working solo mother, who worked 12 hours a day to support her family. ‘‘I appreciate the police giving me the chance to become famous overnight,’’ she said through an Mandarin interpreter.

Asked if she wished to comment on the Crown submissions or the pre-sentence report, Fei He said that her name and biographical details were correct but everything else was made up.

She repeated allegations against the police, saying they had forced her to accept products, and demanded she pay protection money, which she refused. Details were made up by the Crown. Her neighbours and customers would be happy to give evidence to support her, and had come to the court. The other defendants were ‘‘not part of my team at all’’.

She said she had nothing to do with the 173kg of product that had been found. She had used a Chinese medicine mixed with herbal teas from the supermarket, and sold it to treat stress, depression, or insomnia.

She then began a rambling address until the judge told her she must focus on her own case and issues.

Fei Hei had pleaded guilty during the trial in June to charges of selling or supplying a nonapproved psycho-active substance, and possession of it for supply.