Sentencing Kamau Pere, 20, in the Queenstown District Court last week, Judge Mark Williams told him the offending was a "spectacular" way to appear before the courts for the first time.
Police say they were alerted by security staff at a "school after-party" event about a suspicious vehicle, parked near the Albert Town Campground venue, soon after midnight on July 28.
When officers returned a few hours later to check on the dog’s welfare, Pere and a second person were sitting in the back of the vehicle with cannabis smoke wafting out of a window.
A warrantless search was carried out, and Pere handed over items including self-sealing bags he said contained drugs.
He then got out of the vehicle and threw a bag into a bush, but it was recovered and he admitted it belonged to him.
It contained small quantities of ecstasy, cannabis, ketamine, psilocybin (magic mushroom), 53 morphine sulphate tablets and $340 cash.
After his arrest, he admitted to supplying ecstasy to one partygoer and attempting to sell the drug to others at the party.
He had bought the morphine from his mother, which had been prescribed to her for cancer treatment.
A second search of the vehicle uncovered more cannabis and ecstasy, 300ml of liquid morphine also prescribed to his mother, and 21 rounds of .22 ammunition.
He did not have a firearms licence.
Pere was charged with possessing morphine for supply, possessing morphine, supplying ecstasy, possessing cannabis for supply, possessing psilocybin, possessing ketamine and unlawfully possessing ammunition.
A pre-sentence report said he had been exposed to violence and drug and alcohol use at a young age.
He had begun using cannabis at 11.
Judge Williams said the defendant had taken a "cocktail of drugs" to the party with intention of selling them.
Although the dealing had been "small scale", it clearly had a commercial purpose.
After applying discounts for the defendant’s youth, guilty plea and lack of previous convictions, he reached a nominal term of imprisonment of 15 months.
He converted that to six months’ community detention, and 18 months’ intensive supervision to enable intervention for drug and alcohol issues.
Pere was "better off" staying in the community, where he could continue his work in the shearing industry, look after his mother and undergo rehabilitation, he said.
"I want to make sure you have all the help you need to ensure you don’t come before the courts again."
Also sentenced by Judge Williams last week was:
- Joshua O’Rourke, 38, mechanic, of Arrowtown, for aggravated drink-driving (516mcg), at Arrowtown-Lake Hayes Rd, March 2, 100 hours’ community work, 12 months’ supervision, with court costs $143, disqualified 28 days, alcohol interlock provisions.
