[ad_1]
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
Kelvin Wisely appears in Dunedin District Court on drug-related charges in 2018.
A South Otago man incarcerated for nearly eight years for drug trafficking has now been seized by police from his $ 225,000 home.
The full and final settlement relating to the seizure of Kelvin Bruce Wisely’s lifestyle block took place in Dunedin Superior Court last week.
The 51-year-old man’s property was restricted by police in November 2018 after he was caught selling methamphetamine and growing cannabis.
Wisely had been sentenced to seven years and 10 months in prison in March 2018 for his crime.
READ MORE:
* Northland Police Shooting: Manhunt Continues As Detectives Review CCTV, Public Advice
* 20,000 ecstasy pills and Ferraris seized in major Auckland police raid.
* Police seize $ 5 million worth of drugs, arrest 10 in international drug union operation
Police raided Wisely’s home in South Otago after a sting operation discovered he had received about 85 grams of methamphetamine from a Hamilton associate in July 2017.
He admitted to nine drug-related charges, but tried to prevent police from seizing $ 25,110 in cash that they found in a Tupperware container in his bedroom. He claimed that the money came from the sale of motorcycles and carcasses of sheep.
Peter Drury / stuff
Kelvin Bruce Wisely, 51, was jailed in March 2018 for trafficking methamphetamine and growing cannabis.
Judge Michael Crosbie did not accept Wisely’s claim and ordered the total confiscation of all cash found on his property.
Detective Sgt. Stuart McGowan, officer in charge of the Southern Asset Recovery Unit, said the seizure of Wisely’s property was a “significant success for the Southern district and New Zealand police.”
Criminals across the country have confiscated about $ 90 million in assets since July 1, 2017.
“This is accomplished by denying criminals the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of their crime or to reinvest those proceeds in further criminal activity,” McGowan said.
The funds raised from the sale of seized assets go to the Crime Assets Fund and are used in projects that help repair or reduce the damage caused to communities by methamphetamine and organized crime.
McGowan urged anyone with information on methamphetamine-related crimes to contact the police.
“The more we know, the more effective we will be in preventing criminals from unfairly benefiting at the expense of others.”
