Kiwi Poker Participant-Turned Meth Supplier Loses Property Whereas Sitting in Jail

Shane Tamihana can have loads of time to excellent his poker sport. He’s sitting in a New Zealand jail cell on drug costs and may solely watch as authorities seize his belongings.

Shane Tamihana, a former poker participant collaborating in a match. He’s now in jail on costs he led a serious illicit drug ring, and his belongings can be offered by police. (Picture: NZ Herald)

Shane Tamihana had all of it – a budding profession as a poker skilled, recognition in his residence nation of New Zealand, and the prospect for a spot on the worldwide poker scene. He additionally had a thriving illicit drug dealership, which in the end destroyed all the things he was working for.

In 2018, Tamihana, aka Shane Thompson, noticed all the things disappear within the blink of an eye fixed. Police arrested him for shifting methamphetamines and a choose sentenced him to 13 years behind bars.

As he sits within the cell, the surface world strikes ahead. This contains authorities seizing and promoting his belongings, in line with New Zealand’s Stuff media outlet.

Poker Participant Folds to Medicine

The budding poker professional pled responsible to taking part in a serious function in a meth ring that pushed round NZ$2.5 million (US$1.57 million) of the drug. Following his arrest, New Zealand seized his belongings, together with actual property, a car, and over NZ$90,000 (US$56,583) in money.

It took some time for all the money to floor. However the police went in spite of everything of it as soon as Tamihana acquired his sentence. Along with the cash and an not easily seen 2006 Toyota Hilux, additionally they seized a house value NZ$280,000 (US$176,036).

Initially, the drug-dealing poker participant tried to contest the seizures. Nonetheless, presumably realizing that he had no approach out, he relented and gave in. That cleared the way in which for the police to eliminate the belongings. However a brand new wrinkle emerged that precipitated extra anguish for the court docket system.

Doubtful Possession Claims

Taking possession of the actual property was not a straightforward activity. One other particular person, Michael Allison, tried to intervene and mentioned that he owned the property. He tried to persuade authorities that Tamihana had no funding within the residence and that it wasn’t his to be seized.

These arguments fell aside this week. A choose overseeing the seizure claims determined that Allison didn’t have a stable basis. He added that the person alleged to personal the property might have misled the court docket in regards to the supply of his involvement with the actual property.

Allison mentioned that he initially put up NZ$40,000 (US$25,140) to purchase the home. When it got here time to show this and present the supply of the funds, his story fell aside. It went from winnings at SkyCity, which the on line casino couldn’t affirm, to poker video games with Chinese language excessive rollers.

SkyCity confirmed that Allison solely misplaced cash on the time the acquisition of the home passed off, weakening the story. It didn’t assist the would-be proprietor’s case that his personal father rejected the concept that his son owned the property.

Consequently, the choose created a extra doubtless state of affairs that he offered this week. Tamihana was the true purchaser and had requested Allison to place the home in his title. Due to this fact, the police had the appropriate to grab the “tainted property” and will do with it what they need.

Not the Status He Wished

Tamihana turned a prolific meth supplier at the same time as he was profitable poker tournaments. Hendon Mob stories that he took first place on the 2016 Skycity Competition of Poker $1,550 +100 No Restrict Maintain’em Predominant Occasion. This adopted a second-place end at an occasion on the similar competition a yr earlier.

Apparently not content material with the course his poker profession was taking, Tamihana chartered a brand new course into the world of illicit medicine. This led him to turn into, because the sentencing choose put it, “probably the most complete methamphetamine supplier Hawke’s Bay has ever seen.”