Former rugby league star Manu Vatuvei has been sentenced to three years and seven months in jail for importing methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, Vatuvei’s brother Lopini Mafi has been sentenced to seven years and two months behind bars for his involvement as the New Zealand head of the “unsophisticated” drug ring.
The brothers appeared at south Auckland’s Manukau District Court on Wednesday where Judge Jonathan Moses said the pair had contributed to the methamphetamine problem in New Zealand and their actions needed to be denounced.
Judge Moses accepted Vatuvei became involved in the drug ring after a sequence of unfortunate life events.
“Your fall from grace is a punishment in itself,” Judge Moses said.
“Your final legacy in the community does not need to be defined from what happened today.”
Vatuvei was once the pride of New Zealand rugby league, playing 226 games for the Warriors, 29 tests for the Kiwis and two more for Mate Ma’a Tonga.
But on Wednesday, the court heard Vatuvei was left in a dark place after his marriage breakdown and forced retirement from professional sport due to injuries.
Vatuvei’s lawyer, Vivienne Feyen, submitted the former league legend had suffered a “calamity of events” within 18 months after the loss of his career.
The guidance and support he’d had at the Warriors was no longer there and Vatuvei turned to alcohol and drugs to mask the difficulties in his life at the time, the court heard.
“He was ill-equipped to make those fundamental decisions,” Feyen said.
Vatuvei’s loyalty to his brother was also a factor which led to the offending.
Feyen submitted Vatuvei was a role model and was “genuinely and deeply remorseful” for his actions.
Crown prosecutor Jessica Pridgeon accepted Vatuvei had taken an enormous fall from grace, but said his and his brother’s offending was serious.
“Through their actions in importing methamphetamine into New Zealand … they’ve allowed harm to spill into the lives of other New Zealanders.”
Vatuvei retired from professional rugby league in 2017, after a career spanning more than 13 years.
He went on to participate in a number of charity drives, including a Fight for Life boxing match.
He won Dancing With the Stars in 2019, then embarked on a new career in real estate.
Vatuvei was originally charged with importing methamphetamine and possessing the drug for supply, and given name suppression.
However, he went public over the charges in an Instagram video in May 2021, just days before his name suppression was set to lapse.
In October of that year, he admitted a representative charge of importing methamphetamine. The other charges were withdrawn.
Operation Clydesdale
Counties Manukau Police and Customs officers began investigating the brothers in October 2019.
They obtained data from Mafi’s phone, which showed he arranged a number of drug imports through a contact in Africa.
During the investigation, police determined Mafi was the chief in organising the imports, but Vatuvei assisted with import arrangements, directing others and making enquiries about packages while his brother was in hospital.
The phone also contained videos and photos of the brothers opening packages of drugs.
In total, the brothers imported just over 2kg of methamphetamine
In November 2019, Customs officers intercepted a package containing methamphetamine, which was to be delivered to the brothers’ address in Auckland’s Papatoetoe.
Customs removed most of the meth and replaced all but five grams with fake drugs.
A chemical marking powder was also placed on the package, meaning anyone who handled it would likely end up with spores on their clothing and skin.
Mafi took the package from an undercover Customs officer acting as a courier, and signed for it.
Minutes later, Vatuvei and Mafi opened the package, and about five minutes after that, police officers entered the building.
The brothers were found in possession of the methamphetamine concealed within the package.
In Vatuvei’s bedroom, police found digital scales, an empty bag containing white residue, a money counter, a box containing multiple empty bags, a dish containing a white powdery residue, remnants of white powder on a bed sheet, and a TV on the wall showing a live feed from outside the house.
Steven Lack, acting on behalf of Mafi, acknowledged his client was primarily responsible for organising the imports and his offending was driven by his own addiction.
“It’s no secret Mr Mafi is very regretful for the position he’s placed his family, especially his brother in … and that’s something he has to deal with for the rest of his life,” Lack said.
Judge Moses accepted Mafi’s upbringing was marred by abuse, which saw him take solace with a gang.
The judge accepted Mafi had shown insight into his offending and the risk the drug placed to the community.
