Man jailed on cocaine charges

Press, 20 May 1987, Page 47

Man jailed on cocaine charges

PA Auckland A karate instructor who, his lawyer said, made a “full frontal confession” about his part in a cocaine-emuggling < ring was jailed for eight years. John Stephen Fyfield, aged 34, of Ashburton, Melbourne, Australia, appeared before Mr Justice Sinclair in the High Court at Auckland after admitting one charge of conspiring to supply cocaine, one of possession for supply and two of supplying the drug in October of last year. His Honour ordered the forfeiture of $12,400 in cash recovered by the police. Fyfield had been addicted to cocaine for some time, to the point where his addiction could be described as gross, said His Honour. He said there was no suggestion _ that the prisoner was involved in the importation of cocaine into New Zealand in a primary way, but he had no doubt that he was to be - a courier to take the drug to Australia. Fyfield, he said, had decided to do some dealing in New Zealand, probably because of his own addiction. He was the type of person used by those dealing “in-this dreadful trade.” His Honour said there was a suggestion that the Prisoner hoped to make 200,000. More than IOOOg were recovered by the police with an average purity of 80 per cent — high by anybody’s standards.

Broken down, it would have provided about 3000 g for distribution at $3OO a gram. It was true that because of Fyfleld’s admissioo, the police were able to recover some of the cocaine. Defence counsel, Mr Russell Johnson, said Fyfield was not in the ciass of the parties who appeared to have brought the cocaine from South America into New Zealand en route for Australia. He was not a member of any latter-day Mr Asia cocaine ring or a hardened drug syndicate criminal. Fyfield, he said, had worked as a movie stunt man and had run 12 karate schools. A bed back injury resulting from a stunt left him paralysed with pain for some lime, and he had to give up his schools and working in pictures. Mr Johnson said that before that happened, Fyfield had met a man called Massimo Coletti while working on a picture. Coletti eventually introduced him to cocaine. Coletti invited Fyfield to accompany him to New Zealand to collect the cocaine from South America which was to be taken to Australia. Fyfield thought he might get $5OOO and some cocatoe for working as a courier. Mr Johnston said Fyfield made a “full frontal confession” to the police, which led them to recover cocaine in the Palmerston North area. Coletti, he said, got away to Australia.