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The New Zealand Herald

A Chinese-Australian man has been sentenced to three years’ jail in New Zealand for conspiring with an Australian biker gang to carry out a NZ$1 million (US$650,000) drug deal.
He Sha, a 33-year-old Sydney hairdresser, crossed the Tasman to sell drugs for the Comanchero Motorcycle Club to “return some faith” after he had borrowed some money from a gang associate who was his customer.
The Australian citizen was on Monday sentenced in the Auckland District Court for conspiring to deal in pseudoephedrine. Judge Claire Ryan said he would be deported after serving his sentence.
“Once he’s eligible for parole and granted it, he will of course be deported, and that will be a matter of the Parole Board,” Ryan said.
Police seize 190kg of cocaine in New Zealand’s largest drug bust
He Sha was trained as a hairdresser and the court heard he had met one of his now alleged co-offenders in 2013 when they were a customer.
Judge Ryan said He Sha had explained that he had borrowed about NZ$20,000 (US$13,000) from his alleged co-offender and was “required to return some faith”.
The identities of He Sha’s alleged co-conspirators cannot be reported for legal reasons.
Judge Ryan said He Sha, who was aided by a Mandarin interpreter and wearing a Covid-19 mask, had come to New Zealand with “the purpose of committing a crime”.
Mexican drug cartels and Aussie biker gangs are working together: police
Referring to a pre-sentence report, Judge Ryan said He Sha originally came to New Zealand to collect money on behalf of a friend in Australia.
“You claim it was not for the purpose of dealing in drugs. You said the only reason you took the job was because of the financial stress you were under at that stage,” she said.
“You said you had no knowledge of drugs at all. That is contrary to the summary of facts and I do not accept it.”
Asia’s biggest drug bust: fentanyl seizure in Myanmar shows gangs shifting to opioids
He Sha arrived in Australia in 2010 and studied in Queensland, the court heard.
The hairdresser said he went into financial hardship when his wife had to stay home after giving birth, and he was also sending money to China to support his mother who had cancer, local media reported.
He Sha was arrested as part of a covert National Organised Crime Group investigation into the activities of the Comancheros, code-named Operation Nova.
Several others, including an Auckland lawyer, media personality, accountant and leaders of the gang, were also arrested.
He Sha had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a Class B controlled drug.
Hong Kong man to lose US$3.5 million after New Zealand drug bust
Last year, a series of raids in New Zealand saw several other people associated with the Comancheros arrested.
More than 80 police officers were involved in the raids, which also led to about NZ$4 million of assets being seized, including firearms and luxury vehicles including a Rolls-Royce Wraith and gold-plated Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Police said they believed the gang was importing drugs into New Zealand and had laundered millions of dollars.
The Comancheros in New Zealand are nicknamed the “501s” because of the “character grounds” section of the immigration law used to deport many of them from Australia.


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Drugs

Chinese-Australian man jailed for US$650,000 drug conspiracy with Comanchero biker gang

He Sha, a Sydney hairdresser, received a three-year prison sentence. Photo: Bloomberg

Mexican drug cartels are targeting Australia, say police after busting a record A$1.29 billion of meth in joint US-Australia investigation

Drugs, passports, money and other evidence are displayed during a police press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday. Photo: EPA

epa07351856 Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh (L) speaks to the media during a police press conference in Melbourne, Australia, 08 February 2019. According to media reports, 1.7 tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized in the United States bound for Australia. A joint USA/Austrlalia investigation led to the seizure of the drugs, and six people in Australia have been arrested as a result. The methamphetamine, as well as smaller amounts of heroin and cocaine, were hidden inside electronics equipment and had an estimated value of over 911 million US dollar. EPA-EFE/ERIK ANDERSON AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

epa07351859 Drugs, passports and money are displayed among other evidence during a police press conference in Melbourne, Australia, 08 February 2019. According to media reports, 1.7 tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized in the United States bound for Australia. A joint USA/Austrlalia investigation led to the seizure of the drugs, and six people in Australia have been arrested as a result. The methamphetamine, as well as smaller amounts of heroin and cocaine, were hidden inside electronics equipment and had an estimated value of over 911 million US dollar. EPA-EFE/ERIK ANDERSON AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

epa07351858 AFP Assistant Commissioner Organised Crime Bruce Hill (C-R) speaks to the media during a police press conference in Melbourne, Australia, 08 February 2019. According to media reports, 1.7 tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized in the United States bound for Australia. A joint USA/Austrlalia investigation led to the seizure of the drugs, and six people in Australia have been arrested as a result. The methamphetamine, as well as smaller amounts of heroin and cocaine, were hidden inside electronics equipment and had an estimated value of over 911 million US dollar. EPA-EFE/ERIK ANDERSON AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

New Zealand police seize 190kg of cocaine hidden among bananas in country’s largest ever drug bust

Authorities found five duffel bags on top of banana boxes that contained 190 blocks of cocaine. Photo: AP

This image made from video shows a cocaine seizure at a police press conference in Auckland, New Zealand Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. New Zealand police have made the country's largest cocaine seizure, with 190 kilograms (418 pounds) of the drug found in a container of bananas shipped from Panama. New Zealand police and customs officials say the cocaine was contained in five duffel bags on top of bananas in a shipment that arrived in Auckland from Balboa, Panama, in August. Police say a 41-year-old man has been arrested in Sydney after a joint operation with Australia's Federal Police and its Criminal Intelligence Commission. (NZ Herald via AP)

Australian police seize record meth haul worth US$835 million shipped from Thailand

Sealed packages containing illegal drugs after they were seized in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: EPA

Hong Kong man and Taiwanese wife ordered by New Zealand court to surrender assets worth US$3.5 million after drug bust

Ka Kit Yim was arrested while in possession of 1kg of meth, worth US$170,000. Photo: TNS

News

Asia

Australasia


He Sha had borrowed US$13,000 from a gang associate and was expected to return the favour, the Auckland District Court heard
The Sydney hairdresser had met his alleged co-offender when they were a customer



He Sha had borrowed US$13,000 from a gang associate and was expected to return the favour, the court heard.


Crime

New Zealand

Australia

Chinese-Australian man jailed for US$650,000 drug conspiracy with Comanchero biker gang

He Sha had borrowed US$13,000 from a gang associate and was expected to return the favour, the Auckland District Court heard The Sydney hairdresser had met his alleged co-offender when they were a customer

He Sha had borrowed US$13,000 from a gang associate and was expected to return the favour, the Auckland District Court heard

The Sydney hairdresser had met his alleged co-offender when they were a customer