Singer on drug sale charges

Press, 2 May 1981, Page 5

Singer on drug sale charges

PA Auckland A former lead singer for the Auckland band, Hello Sailor, sold heroin and morphine to an undercover policeman, the District Court at Auckland was told yesterday. Graham Phillip Brazier, aged 28. faced two charges of supplying heroin and one of supplying morphine at a depositions hearing before Commander C. L. Cutts and Mrs M. 0. Russell, Justices of the Peace. Detective Constable C. J. Martin said he had worked undercover last year during November and December under the name of Christopher Bennett. He said he had gone to Brazier’s home in Avondale to drop off a bottle of Navy rum. While there, Brazier asked if he was interested in buying some heroin. Brazier made a telephone call, and then asked if he could afford $6OO for a sixgram bag. He had told Brazier that he could, so they had driven to another Avondale address. Detective Martin gave Brazier $6OO, and Brazier came out a few minutes later with a small quantity of powder. He had removed some for himself, and then gave the rest to Detective Martin. A few days later, Detective Martin said, he went to Brazier's home again. They went to the same place in Avondale, he gave Brazier $4OO, and Brazier returned with five packets. He said Brazier had told

him he used about half of one of those packets for' a “fix” because he had a high tolerance. Brazier told him he had been “knocking off” chemists’ shops until a month before. Brazier had said it was no joke running down the road with a drug cabinet in one’s arms and all the sirens going. A few days later Brazier had said he had arranged for them to buy a five-gram bag of morphine for $750 from Tommy Adderley. They had waited outside Adderley’s Cafe, and Brazier followed Adderley inside when he arrived. Brazier had come out and handed over some brown powder. Brazier said he and Adderley had “shot some of it up” inside, and it was “brilliant” stuff. Detective Constable P. J. Keir said Brazier had cooperated fully with the police when he was arrested in January, and had admitted supplying morphine. In a signed statement he had said he did not make any money out of the deals, but kept some of the drugs for himself. He had been using hard drugs for about five years, but he had said that he had trouble getting hold of any after Tommy Adderley was arrested. At the end of the hearing, Brazier denied all the charges. He was committed in custody to the High Court for trial on June 12.