Drug-dealing syndicate four jailed

Press, 13 April 1984, Page 11

Drug-dealing syndicate four jailed

PA Auckland Four convicted drug dealers who, ran one of Auckland’s main outlets for heroin and LSD were jailed yesterday, one of them for 10% years. Members of the syndicate ran an organisation which encouraged the distribution and use of hard drugs by a lot of people, said Mr Justice Thorpe in the High Court at Auckland yesterday.

His Honour was sentencing a group of people arrested last year after a seven-week long police operation. Brett Michael Ashby, aged 26, a signwriter, of Onehunga, was sentenced to 10% years’ imprisonment and fined $2500.

His wife, Wendy Jay Ashby, aged 26, a housewife and mother, was sentenced to two years’ jail and fined $2500.

James Bruce Thompson, aged 31, a seaman, of Glenfield, was sentenced to 8 years’ jail and Christopher Brian Hartley, aged 29, a part-time builder, of Mount Maunganui, was ''sentenced to 6% years’ jail. The police obtained 463 recorded conversations and telephone calls made secretly with bugging devices at the home of the Ashbys in February and March, 1983. Those sentenced yesterday were among fourteen arrested at the end of the police operation. Mr Justice Thorpe said

the organisation and structure of the syndicate involved the three men agreeing to work as a partnership, with Wendy Ashby as the secretary and receptionist “looking after the shop when the others were away, keeping customers interested until one of the others was available to carry the business forward.”

His Honour said Brett Ashby was the senior partner, Thompson’s principal role was to obtain and deal in heroin, while Hartley was involved with the LSD side of the business.

The level of trading by the syndicate did not place it in the top rank but it was one of the main outlets in Auckland at the time, his Honour said.

It was an organisation which encouraged the distribution and use of hard drugs and was only one or two steps removed from the main source at the top of the pyramid. All four had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply narcotics. In addition, Brett Ashby had pleaded guilty to eight further charges involving possession and supply of narcotics and been found guilty by a jury on a further charge. Thompson and Hartley also pleaded guilty to charges of supplying LSD. Six other people were to be sentenced in the High Court later yesterday on charges relating to the syndicate’s drug operations.