Dealer sentenced for part in gang meth ring

A man who got involved in a Hells Angels meth ring to fund his own addiction has been jailed.

Cain Tupurupuru Liddington, 48, was sentenced in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday to three years and one month imprisonment for supplying methamphetamine.

Liddington, who Stuff understands is a member of the Mongrel Mob, was arrested as part of Operation Buckle, a police investigation into methamphetamine dealing in Manawatū .

It focused on Hells Angels member Daron Ian Charles Gilmore and uncovered cooks, suppliers and dealers.

Gilmore, a member of the Hells Angels Central chapter based in Palmerston North, made significant amounts of money in 2020 selling meth.

He sourced meth from Aucklandbased Hells Angels president Andrew John Sisson and distributed it to lower level dealers.

Liddington was one of those dealers.

He was due to go on trial in November but instead pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing methamphetamine for supply. As he took the stand yesterday, Liddington placed a packed bag to the side of the dock.

He had been released on electronically-monitored bail in April to spend time with his brother, but he had been told at a previous hearing a jail term was inevitable.

Defence lawyer Phillip Drummond said Liddington’s brother was still ‘‘very sick’’ but his client had appreciated the opportunity to spend time with him.

‘‘He has been spending about four hours a day with him ... it ran very smoothly.’’

Judge Bruce Northwood said Liddington turned to methamphetamine when he was 33 and got involved with Gilmore to fund his addiction.

He had experienced ‘‘challenges and tragedy’’ in his past, and an event in 2010 involving his brother saw his life spiral out of control.

Northwood said meth use was the ‘‘basis’’ for most of his offending and acknowledged a series of reports that featured ‘‘common Liddington’s character.

They said he had experienced deprivation as a child, and although he only tried meth after the 2010 incident, the ‘‘root causes’’ of his addiction went back to his childhood.

In a letter written to the court, Liddington expressed remorse and said he was determined to change.

The judge described the letter as ‘‘intelligent, well-written and insightful’’ and said it showed a man on a journey towards positive change.

Liddington pleaded guilty in November after accepting a sentencing indication with a starting point of six years’ imprisonment.

He received a 17-month discount for his guilty pleas and time spent on electronically-monitored bail, and a further 25% for his past issues, the direct correlation between his addiction and offending and his prospects for rehabilitation.

Hells Angels members Brent Ross Richardson, Sisson and Scott James Allan are still to be sentenced for their part in the meth ring. themes’’ about