A Northland man has been jailed after dealing drugs to high school students - regularly meeting his clientele at school at lunchtime.
Nineteen-year-old Stanley Victor Clements pleaded guilty after being charged with selling or offering cannabis to people under 18, and charged with supplying magic mushrooms and possession of methamphetamine. He was also charged with driving offences.
Judge John McDonald told the Kaikohe District Court police received information that Clements was dealing magic mushrooms to young students at Kerikeri High School.
They searched his cellphone records and found 4800 text messages sent between June 1 and August 15 - the majority with evidence of drug dealing.
Clements would text students asking they wanted drugs, and would arrange a time to meet.
Many messages were sent from just outside school, and students would meet him before school, at lunchtime or after school had finished.
Kerikeri High principal Elizabeth Forgie told the court Clements had targeted students and was a significant threat.
However his lawyer argued that Clements was only 19 at the time.
"This is a young man who has made some inappropriate choices and who at the time of his offending was in the grips of a methamphetamine addiction," lawyer Doug Blaikie said.
Mr Blaikie also wondered why magic mushrooms were a class A drug when they were far less harmful than P or heroin.
Judge McDonald sentenced Clements to two years and 11 months in jail on the drugs charges, and one month on the driving charges.
He refused to give him a discount for remorse, saying he believed Clements' only remorse was for himself.
Newshub.
