Pubdate: Fri, 03 Dec 2004
Source: Press, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2004 The Christchurch Press Company Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.press.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/349

DANCE DRUGS DEALER JAILED

An organiser of the Alpine Unity dance party has been jailed for nine
years for his part in a drug ring that imported lsd.

Canadian Tael Nikolai Smolski, 28, bowed his head throughout his
sentencing in the High Court at Wellington yesterday. Smolski had
pleaded guilty to charges of importing and conspiring to import lsd
and conspiring to supply the drug.

A shipment with an estimated street value of $240,000 had arrived in
New Zealand late last year. Earlier, a bigger shipment of 40,000 tabs
had been brought in. If it had been of normal strength its street
value would have been about $1.6 million, police said. However, it was
of such poor quality that scientists were unable to confirm the
presence of lsd in the sampling of tabs tested.

Justice Miller said Smolski was a director and shareholder of Alpine
Unity, a company that organised and ran an annual dance party at Flock
Hill Station in Arthur's Pass National Park, Canterbury.

Lsd was imported for distribution at the party and elsewhere, he said.
The party was an ideal place to attract people interested in so-called
recreational drug use and was unlikely to be heavily policed.

Smolski took part in every stage of the drug business, including
sourcing drugs in Canada, the judge said.

Smolski came from a good family in Canada and had been organising
dance events from a young age. Careful planning and execution of a
commercial operation was a feature of the drug ring. But for its
discovery the business undoubtedly would have continued, he said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin