Kelvin Bruce Wisely (51) was declined parole when he appeared before the board last month, after it became clear he had no address to propose for early release.
Wisely was jailed for seven years, 10 months for cannabis and methamphetamine offending in March 2018 and has experienced repeated losses in court since.
First he was forced to forfeit more than $25,000 found at his home when police raided it, despite his claims it came from legitimate motorcycle sales.
An appeal against the order failed, then in December last year the High Court released a judgement in which Wisely was stripped of his rural home because of its links to the offending.
In mid-2016, the prisoner lost his driver’s licence for a year — and subsequently his job as a truck driver — after chalking up his sixth drink-driving conviction.
It led to him digger-driving at the Waitahuna goldmine where he said he was approached by a woman who asked him to "sell some stuff with an enticing profit margin".
Wisely was then put in contact with the Hamilton supplier who would deliver several ounces of meth concealed in a Thermos.
The defendant would later return the flask full of cash.
Justice Gerald Nation, in December’s judgement, said it was likely the dealer was selling three ounces of methamphetamine fortnightly from at least December 2016 to July 2017.
That would have meant gross sales of $480,000 and $7500 profit a week for Wisely.
Police also found an elaborate cannabis cultivation set-up in his barn when they raided the property.
Bank records showed purchases from a hydroponics supplier and garden-supply companies 16 months earlier and police called the end product a "sophisticated commercial operation".
The Parole Board heard Wisely had recently been transferred to Invercargill Prison where he was employed with the grounds crew.
He was described as a "steady worker".
His ongoing case though, which had been the subject of a police media release last year, had caused the prisoner concerns, panel convener Jim Thomson noted.
Wisely accepted he would not get parole without a valid address and told the board he had lost touch with some supporters through feelings he had let them down.
His next hearing will take place in January next year.
His sentence expires in May 2025.
