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Ex-ABs speak for man sentenced for drug offending

Melanie Earley

Two former All Blacks have spoken of the pressure a man who was being sentenced for drug offending felt to support his family financially.

Sir Michael Jones and Eroni Clarke spoke on behalf of Joshua Tofa-Tulisi, 26, at the High Court in Auckland yesterday. Tofa-Tulisi had pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA for supply and supplying MDMA.

Tofa-Tulisi was sentenced along with Taniela Mafielo, Siolei Fakafanua, Jarrod Singer and a fifth man with interim name suppression, following a police investigation in 2020.

Operation Cincinnatti saw 26 people arrested and kilos of drugs, multiple firearms and more than $10 million in assets seized. Several senior gang members were also arrested.

Jones told Justice Neil Campbell in a statement, while he didn’t condone Tofa-Tulisi’s actions he had pressures from within motivated by his ‘‘innate sense of loyalty and alofa [love] for his family’’.

‘‘As a young Polynesian boy growing up in West Auckland without a father, I felt this powerful sense of duty for my family.

‘‘Whenever I worked for a pay check I would give most of it to my mother. This is the cultural reality for us as Samoan.’’

Clarke, who is Tofa-Tulisi’s uncle, told Justice Campbell he had always been ‘‘highly responsible and protective’’, and had moved home to Australia at 23 to take care of his grandparents.

‘‘Joshua felt responsible to contribute to his family and felt the pressure of it. He felt there was no other option but to do the offending.’’

Justice Campbell sentenced Tofa-Tulisi to 10 months’ home detention and noted he had felt ‘‘a lot of pressure’’ to support his family financially.

Mafielo, Fakafanua and the man with interim name suppression were sentenced for conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery after police heard through a listening device they were planning to rob a party for drugs and money.

Fakafanua was also charged with unlawful possession of ammunition after police executed a search warrant at his house.

Police took steps to interrupt their robbery plan by having the Eagle helicopter follow the trio, and the robbery was aborted when they saw the helicopter.

Mafielo was sentenced to six months of intensive supervision, Fakafanua was sentenced to 12 months of home detention and the other man was sentenced to five months of home detention.

Singer was sentenced for accessory after the fact for supplying methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 12 months of supervision.

NATIONAL NEWS

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2022-09-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281668258854496

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