A Tongan man recently appeared in Wellington High Court following a significant police operation that uncovered a staggering $673,000 in cash along with illegal drugs hidden in his vehicle.
Sunia Mano To’ofohe, 45, was stopped by Police in May 2023 as he drove back from Auckland to Wellington, a report by the NZ Herald said this morning.
Inside the car police allegedly found 29g of methamphetamine, 5.9g of cocaine, 23 Oxycodone pills and almost $126,000 in cash.
Later that evening during a search of To’ofohe’s room at his Lower Hutt flat, police also claim to have found about 11kg of methamphetamine, spread across a number of different containers and packages.
The Crown says that during the search police also found 26 tabs of LSD, 80 more Oxycodone pills, 580ml of fantasy or GBL, 140ml of another controlled drug known as 1-4 Butanediol and 200g of cannabis. They also allegedly found a rifle, ammunition and a further $547,000 in cash.
Van der Lem told the jury police estimated To’ofohe had supplied almost a kilogram of methamphetamine between February and May 2023.
He said To’ofohe had photographed the drug as he weighed it on different dates, showing the weights in the packages.
Screenshots of his messages, allegedly show he had supplied 226g in eight months to one user alone.
The Crown also says To’ofohe was keeping handwritten records of his drug dealing. He even did a stocktake of the methamphetamine in his possession in early 2023, van der Lem said.
As a result of what the police allegedly found in his car, bedroom and home To’ofohe faces 15 charges, including possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, Oxycodone, GBL, LSD and 1-4 Butanediol for supply.
He is also charged with possessing cannabis for sale, possession of a firearm and ammunition, two charges of supplying methamphetamine and failing to assist in a search.
To’ofohe denies all charges.
His lawyer, Keith Jefferies, urged the jury to keep an open mind.
The Crown will call more than 20 witnesses and produce 11 photo booklets during the trial before Justice Cheryl Gwyn. It is expected to continue at least this week.
