The methamphetamine found had a street value of $1.074m, according to the summary.<\/p>\n
At the airport, officers examined Abdullah\u2019s phone and found WhatsApp conversations in Malay that, according to the summary, showed he knew he was smuggling drugs through multiple different countries.<\/p>\n
He had conversations with a person named \u201cZareeeena\u201d where they discussed delivering items like the stock pot to different countries.<\/p>\n
An audio message from \u201cZareeeena\u201d in June said: \u201cIf the bag yesterday had powder, I would have died … because they opened every single zip and checking, checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abdullah responded: \u201cOf course I am scared if they select half a kilo and sew it in the bag, I\u2019d be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
On September 18, Abdullah told \u201cZareeeena\u201d, \u201cthe pan is in the bag\u201d.<\/p>\n
The following day, \u201cZareeeena\u201d said: \u201cI\u2019m waiting for the Westerner to pick up the pan\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWow, you\u2019re so busy too,\u201d the summary said Abdullah replied, telling the contact two days later \u201cmake sure the promised salary is paid\u201d.<\/p>\n
His conversations with a reported travel company showed it organised his visa and booked his flights and hotel for his New Zealand trip.<\/p>\n
It also demanded photos proving Abdullah had boarded his flights, the summary said, and was angry when he was late sending them.<\/p>\n
In court, Crown lawyer Pia Puertollano said Abdullah was \u201cadamant\u201d he was bringing gold to New Zealand and didn\u2019t know it was drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just … porkies,\u201d Judge Tahana commented.<\/p>\n
Abdullah\u2019s lawyer, Baden Meyer, said his client knew he was doing something illegal and accepted that, but not to the extent alleged by the Crown.<\/p>\n
Despite this, he pleaded guilty soon after Meyer was assigned as his lawyer, the court heard.<\/p>\n
The Crown alleged Abdullah was a \u201csenior courier\u201d, Meyer said, which he disagreed with.<\/p>\n
\u201c[But] you\u2019ve gone to the extreme … I don\u2019t know if I accept your characterisation of the offender as a \u2018naive courier\u2019,\u201d Judge Tahana countered.<\/p>\n
From her reading of the messages, she continued, Abdullah\u2019s offending went further than just \u201cknowing\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut equally I don\u2019t think he was the most sophisticated and significant mule that we\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meyer accepted it was more than a \u201csingle naive run\u201d then argued the concentration of the drugs was \u201cwell below the national average\u201d.<\/p>\n
Judge Tahana agreed Abdullah\u2019s sentence needed adjustment for the purity of the methamphetamine.<\/p>\n
The meth-laden pot was concealed by packaged food and personal items. Photo \/ NZ Customs<\/p>\n
While the judge was sentencing Abdullah, he interrupted to exclaim about the gold and when she said she did not accept that explanation, he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the text, there is nothing where we talk about the drug,\u201d the interpreter translated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to give my decision, and I need you to hold back from providing your comments, okay?\u201d the judge responded.<\/p>\n
Judge Tahana said she considered the quantity of methamphetamine, making an adjustment for quality and taking into account his role in the smuggling operation, and discounted his sentence for his early guilty plea.<\/p>\n
She also acknowledged he would be serving a sentence of imprisonment in a foreign country, which would involve \u201cadditional hardship\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will be separated from family and friends and will have limited support while in prison. There will also be language and cultural challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
She allowed an additional discount for that but declined to give a further reduction because the man\u2019s wife has cancer.<\/p>\n
For a charge of importing a class-A drug, Abdullah was sentenced to seven years and eight months\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Ella Scott-Fleming has been a journalist for three years and previously worked at the Otago Daily Times, Gore Ensign and Metro Magazine. She has an interest in court and general reporting. She\u2019s currently based in Auckland covering justice-related stories.<\/p>\n