Sportsmen charged over drug hoax
A multi-million dollar drug deal that resulted in the arrests of three top level Auckland sportsmen was an elaborate hoax involving drugs that never existed, a drop-off boat that never arrived, a bogus kidnapping and a pile of cash from the King Cobras gang.
Angus Stafford Naupoto, a former manager of the Tongan rugby team, William Wolfgramm, a former Tongan league international and player-coach for the Bay Roskill Vikings, and Peter Lawrence Tanginoa, a former Tongan union international and Brisbane Broncos league player, are all charged with conspiracy to import methamphetamine and participating in an organised criminal group.
Naupoto, 35, is also facing a charge of conspiracy to kidnap.
Police began watching the trio in July this year after learning they were allegedly conspiring to import in excess of 100 kilograms of methamphetamine from Tonga.
Earlier that month Naupoto believed through Tongan associates that approximately 400kgs of methamphetamine, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, had been stolen or acquired by a group in Nuku'alofa, Tonga.
Police allege that while in Tonga Naupoto made a deal with the group to act as an agent and on-sell the drugs in New Zealand and then recruited Wolfgramm, 40, and Tanginoa, 37, to help.
Photographs of the drugs were placed into an email account next to daily Tongan newspaper ''to prove to the intended New Zealand buyers'' that they existed, a police summary of the case reads.
Arrangements were made for a boat skipper to travel to Tonga and then return with the drugs concealed within the craft.
Police allege Wolfgramm, a butchery owner from Massey, west Auckland, and Tanginoa, a takeaway bar owner of Western Springs, were tasked with finding a buyer and that Wolfgramm got in touch with an associate with connections to the King Cobras.
As part of ''attracting prospective buyers'' a 20kg sample of methamphetamine was said to have been ferried from Tonga to New Zealand in a boat skippered by a man known only as Johann.
To ensure Johann made the drop, Wolfgramm's gang associate allegedly paid $ 10,000 sourced from the ''club'', to cover the skipper's expenses.
Communications intercepted between Naupoto and his associates in Tonga, revealed they were allegedly holding the skipper's wife hostage ''as security'' to ensure the methamphetamine sample arrived.
Police allege Naupoto, of Clendon, South Auckland, was ''supportive'' of that idea.
The drug-boat supposedly arrived in Opua Harbour in the Bay of Islands, and later Gulf Harbour, between July 30 and August 5.
Police claim Naupoto unsuccessfully tried to meet Johann on August 1 at Opua Harbour, then another failed rendezvous took place at Gulf Harbour on August 5. For that meeting Naupoto took a minder and first switched cars at an underground Onehunga carpark because he feared he was being watched.
It later emerged that Johann feared he was being tailed, so returned to Tonga.
The gang associates demanded their money back, but despite this police say the accused continued to try and broker the sale of 100kgs of methamphetamine to them and other criminals.
On August 12 police in Tonga and New Zealand began to have ''grave concerns'' for the safety of the skipper's wife and decided to wrap-up their investigation, ''locate and rescue the skipper's wife and locate the stockpile of methamphetamine''.
On August 12 Tongan police interviewed the group they believed had the drugs and learned their entire case was based on an elaborate hoax - there were no drugs, Johann the skipper didn't exist and no one was being held hostage.
At that time police claim those spoken to were in the process of formulating another story - that the imaginary drugs had been stolen.
Despite hearing of the police bust in Tonga back in New Zealand, the accused continued to attempt to find buyers, believing authorities had failed to uncover the stash, the police summary reads.
The trio was arrested on August 17.
- Auckland Now
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