Man jailed on meth charges

Introducing methamphetamine into a small community like Oamaru had a "significant impact", a drug-addicted Oamaru man who bought and sold the class A drug to fund his own habit has been told.

Kenny Hung Fung (31) appeared before Judge Robert Wolff in the Oamaru District Court yesterday to be sentenced on charges of possessing methamphetamine for supply and supplying the class A drug at Oamaru between January 18 and August 29 this year.

Both charges carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment.

Fung had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges.

His counsel, Len Andersen, said the defendant sold the drug to fund his own habit, but he was a "small-time" dealer.

The Crown summary said police went to Fung's Don St address just before 8am on August 29.

They had identified him by text messages intercepted from January to March between him and an associate, showing the defendant was buying and selling methamphetamine in the town.

Fung was searched by the officers who found $2862.60 cash and 4.09g of cut methamphetamine, commonly known as "crack" or "P", in a small tin and plastic bags hidden in his underpants.

The metal tin contained 2.81g of cut methamphetamine while 10 small bags inside a resealable plastic bag held a total of 2.28g of the drug, which had been broken down into weights of either 0.5g or 0.1g.

Fung admitted it was methamphetamine, that he had been buying it on a semi-regular basis about once or twice a month in amounts of 1g to 1.5g and had been selling it.

He would drive to Christchurch to buy the drug, then break it down into varying saleable-point bags which he would then sell.

He told the officers he had sold some of his first 8g purchase of methamphetamine before he was "ripped off" by unknown gang members who also took his cash.

He bought the second quantity of 8g the weekend before his house was searched and had sold about half of it, the portion remaining being what was found on him at his house.

Fung admitted he used methamphetamine and sold it to friends, but said he had recently had financial troubles and bought the two larger quantities to help pay off his debt.

When Fung moved to Oamaru, his life "seems to have been in an ordered fashion" as he held a job as an apprentice, but then he slipped back into old habits, Mr Andersen said.

A corrections report assessed Fung as having a high risk of re-offending, but Mr Andersen said Fung had expressed a motivation to deal with his addiction.

Judge Wolff said Fung had shown some genuine remorse and a preparedness to try to deal with his problem.

But that would be "much easier said than done", Judge Wolff said, citing the pernicious nature of methamphetamine.

Fung was convicted and sentenced to two years and two months' imprisonment.

The $2862.60 cash seized from his property was forfeited to the Crown

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