Jail sentence gets cannabis grower's approval

  • Breaking
  • 17/08/2012

By 3 News online staff

A Hawke's Bay man sentenced to 13 months' jail on cannabis offences gave an "enthusiastic thumbs up" to the judge, reports the Hawke's Bay Today.  

In May, William Clarke Tahere was caught running a sophisticated cannabis-growing operation at his property in Puketapu, west of Napier, whilst already on bail awaiting sentencing on other drug charges.

Police found 179 seedlings, which Tahere had made no effort to hide. In fact, when police arrived at his house, he told them exactly where to look – the double garage.

There they found a hydroponics operation with 36 metres of piping, six heat lamps, fertiliser, timers and several fans. Police said a grower with Tahere's experience could produce "hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth" of cannabis a year.

In June, Tahere, 51, was sentenced to four months in prison for cannabis growing and manufacturing cannabis oil. Yesterday he was sentenced to 13 months for cultivation of the drug.

After giving the sentence his approval, Tahere was on the receiving end of a lecture from Judge Tony Adeane, who told him off for using the drug in house where he was bringing up his children.

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source: newshub archive