A 68-year-old woman who was part of a multimillion-dollar
drug syndicate will be sentenced in the High Court next
month.
Kilbirnie cleaner Sandra Jacqueline McMahon was due to be
sentenced today in the Wellington District Court on charges
of selling cannabis, possessing cannabis for supply and money
laundering.
But Judge Peter Hobbs declined jurisdiction given the
seriousness of the charges and the likely length of
imprisonment she would face.
He remanded McMahon in custody until sentencing in the High
Court at Wellington on December 12.
McMahon was arrested in June after a crackdown on what police
say was a well-organised and sophisticated commercial drug
syndicate which dealt in tens of thousands of dollars of
cannabis every week.
Police seized more than 13kg of cannabis and about $40,000 in
cash at the end of a five month investigation dubbed
Operation Foxy.
McMahon was alleged to have sold cannabis and laundered money
from its proceeds between January 2005 and her arrest in
June.
She pleaded guilty to the charges in September.
Wellington organised crime manager Detective Inspector Darrin
Thomson said at the time that Operation Foxy had severely
damaged the cannabis supply chain in the Wellington region.
"This syndicate was responsible for millions of dollars worth
of drugs flowing into our community and causing damage to
many."
Mr Thomson said the group had been operating for a number of
years and built up millions of dollars in assets from the
proceeds.
Four others were arrested as part of the operation, including
McMahon's 48-year-old-son Craig McMahon.
- Matthew Backhouse of APNZ
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