A British man caught dealing cocaine in Queenstown will be deported after completing a home detention sentence.
Connor Anthony Young’s offending was discovered inadvertently when police seized his cellphone while executing a search warrant on another target.
Between April 18 and October 3 last year, he bought a total of 107g of cocaine from an associate in 36 transactions.
He then supplied it to his friends in exchange for cash.
After his arrest he told police most of the cocaine — which has a street value of about $40,000 — was for his own use.
At Young’s sentencing on a single cocaine supply charge in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, defence counsel Megan Waller said the defendant had used cocaine on a weekly basis.
Although he had downplayed his addiction during his interview for a pre-sentence report, there had been a "level of addiction" that contributed to the offending, Ms Waller said.
She sought a home detention sentence that would enable him to continue addressing his addiction issue.
He had nearly completed a Salvation Army positive lifestyle programme, but was waiting to be referred for drug and alcohol counselling.
He had lived in Queenstown for the past two years, and had a partner and a "really good job".
Being deported would be "significantly punitive in itself".
Judge David Ruth said Young had been a heavy drinker and cannabis user from a young age, and started using cocaine from the age of 19.
After moving to New Zealand four years ago, he had not been a regular user until he moved to the resort town, where he found the drug easy to access.
The defendant had become the "middle-man" for an associate who was reticent about dealing with multiple customers, Judge Ruth said.
He claimed he bought the drug only for himself and friends, and did not make money from the sales.
Young had one previous conviction in New Zealand, for drink-driving with a "very high" alcohol level in 2020.
From a starting point of three years’ and three months’ prison, he applied discounts for the defendant’s prompt guilty plea, addiction issues and the steps he had taken towards rehabilitation, to reach a term of 23 months.
He converted that to a final sentence of 11 months’ home detention at a Queenstown address, along with an order to attend a drug and alcohol addiction programme.
Also sentenced by Judge Ruth yesterday were:
• Sasha Elan Smith, 21, DJ, of Queenstown, supplying MDMA, August 23-November 23; possessing psilocybin, November 23, five months’ community detention.
• Joshua Remco Vis, 30, of Arrowtown, disqualified driving, March 24, Arrowtown; breaching community work, fined $300, court costs $130, disqualified six months.
• Kobe John Townsend, 20, of Lake Hayes Estate, assaulting police, resisting police, disorderly behaviour, December 16, Queenstown, discharged without conviction.
