A West Coast man selling methamphetamine in Dunedin was a sitting duck for police when he was caught, a court has heard.
Brett James Drake (40) was found asleep at the wheel of his vehicle on May 22 last year.
When officers roused him, his criminal exploits soon became clear.
Within reach of Drake was a large machete, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.
Further search of the vehicle turned up methamphetamine and three bags of class-B ecstasy, along with $8980 cash.
Defence counsel Anne Stevens QC said her client accepted about a third of it was drug money but the rest was for a car.
Drake, however, did not want to take the matter to a further hearing and allowed forfeiture of the entire amount.
Analysis of Drake's cellphone activity showed he had spent the preceding few weeks sourcing and selling quantities of meth.
There was some dispute regarding the exact amount of the class-A drug that changed hands but Judge Michael Crosbie yesterday accepted it was between 7g and 9g.
Drake later pleaded guilty to supplying and possession for supply of methamphetamine, possession of MDMA and possession of a weapon and had been remanded in custody – partly due to his "appalling" criminal history.
Mrs Stevens said her client wanted to escape the cycle.
"He's reached the point of exasperation with himself," she said.
Drake, she said, had contacted a residential rehabilitation facility in Blenheim, which had provisionally accepted him, subject to an assessment.
The judge commended the defendant for his efforts which he hoped were genuine.
"You have said many times, you were going to do something about your addiction," he said.
"[Residential rehabilitation], that's the sort of hard yards you need to do. You won't get on top of your addiction if you try to do this on your own. You know that and you're kidding yourself if you think otherwise."
Drake was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, which meant his release would likely be within weeks.
