Court rejects appeal by meth importer

A meth importer who continued ordering large-scale consignments while on bail in Dunedin has failed to reduce his sentence.

David Wayne Wratt (49) was jailed for six years and nine months when he appeared in the Napier District Court in November 2019 on a representative charge of importing the class-A substance.

His case came before the Court of Appeal in February, when he argued the penalty was manifestly excessive.

However, in a decision released recently, the court firmly rejected the legal challenge.

Wratt used the dark web to order a huge amount of P from the United States, later claiming the drugs were for his personal use and helped calm him down.

Buying in bulk drove down the price, the man said, and it meant he did not have to deal with gang members.

On September 18, 2017, Customs intercepted a package address to Wratt’s home, but under a false name, and found 236g of methamphetamine.

That may have had a street value of at least $200,000 if sold in smaller amounts.

In collaboration with police, Customs replaced all but 10g of the haul with a substitute material and sent it on to Wratt in preparation for a sting operation.

An associate of the defendant signed for the package and they soon drove off.

A tamper alarm told pursuing officers the parcel had been opened and they arrested Wratt after a short pursuit.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations and the scale of the importation, the defendant, who had no previous meth convictions, was released on bail to Dunedin.

A month after arriving, however, he was back online and had ordered another batch of the highly addictive drug.

This time, he used an address next door but was unsuccessful in intercepting the package when it was delivered.

Customs later found it contained 90g of P.

Two months later, the scenario played out again with a 36g consignment.

In his final desperate act to get his hands on some meth, Wratt imported to a Hastings home, but the 90g never found its way to the intended recipient.

In total, Wratt had brought 452g into the country over five months and barely touched a gram.

He argued at appeal that he should not have been assessed as playing a "leading" role in the operation.

Justice Jill Mallon did not accept that.

"He made the decision to import the methamphetamine. He decided how he would do that and he made the arrangements for the packages to be sent and paid for. No-one was directing him to do this and he was accountable to no-one above him in the supply chain," she said.

"This was a commercial quantity with the potential to cause substantial harm to the community and provide Mr Wratt with substantial financial rewards if distributed."

The defendant’s argument that he should have received greater credit for the fact he suffered from ADHD was similarly dismissed.

"He has been treated for it and knows that treatment is available to him. He has become addicted to methamphetamine as an alternative to proper treatment but has had previous opportunities to seek help for his addiction if minded to do so," Justice Mallon said.

rob.kidd@odt.co.nz

 

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