Through Damien Grivois
Published on
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The business of ice trafficking follows one another … and is very similar. Since yesterday morning, the criminal court has heard no less than 20 defendants, including three women, defended by a dozen lawyers. They must respond, according to their degree of involvement, acquisition, possession, transport, supply and especially unauthorized importation of methamphetamine from the Hawaiian archipelago. The alleged facts took place between early May 2019 and late September 2020.
It was a control operation by the customs service at Tahiti-Faa’a airport which had made it possible to discover drugs hidden especially in the hollow handle of carbon canoe oars, as well as in handles of ropes. jump, the starting point for investigators’ investigations.
Telephone tapping, in particular, enabled them to understand the organization of traffic, but also the system for selling “merchandise” to customers in Tahiti. The “big fish” Bonard Hauata (37 years old), Ricardo Manuel (37 years old), Haunui Tane (25 years old), Nainai Tane (51 years old), Daniel Tehei (63 years old), Rocky Tehei (36 years old) and Philippe Vaiho ( 39 years old) are in pre-trial detention. The other defendants are almost all placed under judicial supervision.
Most must also answer for “participation and association of criminals with a view to the preparation of an offense punishable by 10 years”, or even money laundering.
As in the other cases of ice (often importation from Los Angeles, the customs having moreover already found drugs in paddle oars…), the common point remains the lure of the gain. It is true that the sums mentioned quickly make you dizzy. The drugs contained in only one of the three canoe oars would have brought in no less than 10 million francs to the trafficker, whose standard of living suddenly changed: purchase of a large German 4 × 4, a boat, etc.
Hundreds of millions of francs
In total, justice estimates that no less than 5 kg of ice could have been imported from Honolulu during five trips, even if the defendants try to minimize this estimate.
Assuming that a gram of ice is sold for 150,000 F, which is considered a floor price in Tahiti (rather around 200,000 F), this traffic could thus have generated a minimum turnover of 750 million francs. . One of the defendants would have had 27 million francs stolen from his car, crazy figures …
Robert Patu, a “mule” who took part in the third trip, makes no secret of his motivation: “It was to have money”. Not without being fully aware of the dangers involved, but without accepting them. “If I had been caught, I would have told everything,” he admits.
Matahiarii Maimaro admits for his part that he had “debts to pay”.
Augustine Maruarai, who carried drugs and money, tries to kick in touch by explaining that she ignored him.
In Bora Bora, “everyone, including his own mother”, however, knew that Haunui Tane “was” steeped in drugs. “You knew perfectly well that he was in traffic” slices the president of the court, Marcel Tastevin …
Luceila Tane does not shirk her responsibilities. The 820,000 F found at home? “Yes, that was the rest of the money in the ice,” she admits. “It paid off a lot. “
On the fifth trip, Ricardo Manuel says he concealed the ice in plasticine. Then, taken with fear, he would have thrown it all in a trash can at the Honolulu airport.
Haunui Tane tries to explain that he consumed the drug and did not sell it, without convincing the magistrates. In a few months, he spends more than 15 million francs whereas his entrepreneurial activity is supposed to be almost at a standstill… “I was in alcohol, in games, after a separation. A complicated period of my life… ”
The trial is to continue today and tomorrow. Defendants, even suspected of having committed these offenses, are considered innocent before being tried by the court.
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