Trio got drugs from internet site

Three men were sentenced in the Invercargill District Court yesterday for importing class A and B drugs.

Michael David John Kitto, 25, Andrew James Furness, 23, and Gareth John Edlin, 29, appeared together before Judge Gary MacAskill.

Kitto, the initiator, was sentenced to four months and two weeks' home detention on two charges of importing ecstasy and one of importing cocaine into the country between April 1 and July 3.

Furness was sentenced to eight weeks' home detention for importing cocaine and ecstasy and Edlin was sentenced to 12 weeks' community detention on one charge of importing ecstasy.

The police summary of facts says Kitto made several purchases of class A and B drugs between April and June via the Silk Road internet site, an online black market, and had them sent to Furness' and Edlin's homes.

The packages were posted from Germany and the Netherlands, and were intercepted at the Auckland mail centre, it says.

When spoken to by police, all three were co-operative.

Kitto admitted using bitcoins, an online currency, to pay for the drugs from the Silk Rd site, and providing Furness and Edlin with portions of the drugs in payment, the summary says.

Kitto said he was sorry for what he had done. He put his actions down to curiosity and the excitement of using the drugs instead of alcohol, it says.

Edlin admitted receiving one tablet of ecstasy. He knew about the other intended deliveries to his home, and their contents, and said he felt pressured to receive the packages because Kitto was a work colleague, the summary says.

Furness admitted agreeing for his house to be used for a delivery on one occasion and making a payment of $150 to Kitto towards purchasing the ecstasy and cocaine. He claimed he was to receive half on arrival, it says.