A Te Puke man behind bars for cannabis dealing offences has
had another two-and-half years added to his sentence after he
was busted for further dealing offences thanks to vigilant
prison guards.
Hemiona William Ririnui, 29, was sentenced to a year's prison
in November 8 last year on two counts of selling cannabis to
undercover police officers in 2010 during a police sting
operation targeting drug dealers in the Te Puke area.
In the High Court at Rotorua today Justice Peter Woodhouse
sentenced Ririnui to a further two years six months in prison
for further cannabis cultivation and dealing offences.
In September Ririnui pleaded guilty to one count each of
cultivating cannabis, possession of cannabis for supply,
conspiring to deal cannabis and participation in an organised
criminal group.
These offences came to light after prison guards monitoring
Ririnui's outwards calls from a prison phone to a female
associate in March and April this year heard him talking to
her about a cannabis harvesting, processing and supply
operation in the Bay of Plenty.
During the calls, Ririnui talked about having a number of
cannabis plots growing in the Bay of Plenty, and gave advice
on the best ways to harvest, process and supply the drug.
When police searched an empty Maketu house they found several
piles of cannabis stalks, fencing staples, plastic bags and
cannabis leaf and remnants of cannabis inside the house and
behind it.
Around 15.85kg of disposed cannabis leaf was seized and
another 2kg of cannabis was found inside an orchard at the
rear of Ririnui's family address in Te Puke.
- By Sandra Conchie of the Bay of Plenty Times
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