Young man convicted in Cook Islands High Court over 0.20 g of cannabis
A young man was convicted in the Cook Islands criminal High Court on 26 February 2026 for possessing 0.20 grams of cannabis, after hiring a lawyer, gathering character references and attending a men's counselling centre. A letter to Cook Islands News argued the amount was below the 250-milligram THC threshold in the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004.
🇳🇿 High Court, Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands · New Zealand
A young man was convicted in the criminal High Court after he was found in
possession of 0.20 grams of cannabis.[1]After his arrest the man hired a
lawyer, gathered character references and attended a men’s counselling centre.[1]
A Cook Islands resident, Steve Boggs, wrote to the newspaper arguing that the
arrest should never have happened because the amount fell below the threshold in
the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004.[1]Boggs quoted the act’s
presumption provision, which applies where a person is in possession of 250
milligrams or more of tetrahydrocannabinol.[1]He read the 0.20 grams as 200
milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol, below the 250 milligrams he says is required
for an arrest for possession.[1]
Boggs said the man should have faced no more than a civic infraction and a small
fine.[1]He argued that the cannabis laws should have been changed by now to
reflect how possession is treated in the Cook Islands.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Cannabis
200 mg
Activity
Possession
Charge
possession of cannabis under the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004
The man's name, age and sentence are not reported; the letter only describes him as a young man.
The only readable account is an opinion letter; the newspaper's paid court report of 26 February 2026 could not be opened, so the charge wording and penalty are unconfirmed.
The 0.20 grams is described as cannabis that Boggs reads as 200 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol; whether the court established the amount in THC or in cannabis was not clear to the letter writer.
The court sat at Avarua but the letter gives no other place for the offence, so the court's town is recorded as the event place.
The generic letters-section image on the page does not show the case, so no photo is listed.
Christchurch District Court Judge Quentin Hix sentenced 54-year-old Damon Redshaw without prison after police found 234 grams of cannabis in his crashed vehicle, along with a sawn-off .22 rifle, ammunition and a methamphetamine vape.
Judge Mark Williams sentenced Jade-Cooper Mackenzie in the Invercargill District Court on cannabis dealing and other drug and assault charges, rejecting his claim that he sold only to fund his own addiction. Mackenzie had handled 16kg of cannabis, held $35,000 in cash and had two people working for him.
Ruben Flutey, 34, was sentenced to 10 years and five months in prison at the Wellington District Court after being convicted on 18 charges, including supplying methamphetamine, cannabis, ecstasy and ketamine. Police seized nearly $200,000 of assets including drugs, cash, a classic car, motorbikes and jet skis, and four more associates were due to be sentenced in November and December.
Arrested 1Charged 1Prison 10 years and five months
Alexander Kerr, 20, was jailed for two years and three months in Napier District Court after admitting he caused the death of his friend Wade Crosbie, 19, and seriously injured another passenger while driving with almost twice the high-risk level of THC in his blood. The judge said drivers who kill someone while impaired should expect prison, and disqualified Kerr for five years.
Charged 1Convicted 1Sentenced 1Prison 2 years and 3 months
