Barber-turned-drug runner flew $200k in suitcases across NZ

Thursday, 12 February 2026

A Christchurch barber craving a sense of status traded his clippers and scissors for suitcases of cash and kilograms of cocaine.

But Ponifasio Joshua Sua’s “blind obedience” to the Comancheros Motorcycle Club has only earned him an eight-year prison term – as his lawyer advises the “rosy aspect” of gang life will fade.

The 25-year-old is the latest person to be sentenced by the High Court at Christchurch over a life-ruining syndicate that moved at least 30kg of methamphetamine and cocaine around New Zealand.

Police cracked the network in August 2024, arresting the entire Christchurch Comancheros chapter and seizing millions of dollars of cash, drugs and jewellery, following an eight-month investigation dubbed Operation Avon.

On Thursday, the High Court heard Sua was happily recruited by gang members who visited his barber shop. He “craved a sense of status” and the prestige such a lifestyle could offer, Justice Jonathan Eaton said.

Sua did not rise above the rank of nominee, but was trusted by the gang and eventually invited to a group chat with senior members that exposed some of the illicit operation’s inner workings.

The court heard he is the half brother of Dementry Higgins, a personal trainer and one of the youngest members of the drug ring, who was jailed in January.

From June 2024, Sua moved kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine from the North Island to Christchurch for wider distribution, via domestic flights from Hamilton and Auckland, Justice Eaton said.

He then returned north with suitcases filled with cash. On one occasion he moved $190,000, on another $200,000 and a third $260,000. Sometimes he completed the runs with others.

Hamilton Airport staff became suspicious of Sua in August 2024 and notified police. He was found with a kilogram of cocaine and promptly arrested.

It was agreed he personally transported 4kg of Class A drugs, was party to the transportation of a further 6kg, and helped supply individuals in Christchurch with 420g.

Criminal defence lawyer Ethan Huda argued his client was no manager within the gang, and he did not receive or expect to receive huge financial gain.

“He did not have any flash car, let alone a motorcycle or an expensive watch or wads of cash,” Huda pointed out, despite the typical monetary motivation of the narcotics trade.

Huda referred to a pre-sentence report that detailed Sua’s cognitive, impulse control and other difficulties, plus aspects of his upbringing which could be linked to the offending.

But Justice Eaton took issue with the report – some 24 pages – for its overload of information and lack of third party references, saying it felt “shallow”.

He said Sua was not remorseful and remained unwaveringly loyal to the Comancheros, believing he could manage prison “comfortably”.

“He gets arrested and charged with serious drug offending, knowing he is facing a serious long sentence and so is his half brother… There’s no reflection saying ‘wow, I’ve destroyed my life and that of my half brother’s and family’s’ … it’s ‘no, I’m staunch, I can do prison’.”

Huda, referencing Justice Eaton’s years as a defence lawyer, suggested he could agree they were more likely to see change after a sentence was imposed, not before.

“There is still a rosy aspect to the gang … as time goes on and different members get different lengths of sentence, they’re shipped away, there and shipped away here … that’s when I think the reflection will start.”

Justice Eaton considered Huda’s explanation but warned Sua he must think carefully about his pre-sentence comments before he became eligible for parole.

He imprisoned the former barber for eight years and three months on nine charges of supplying a Class A drug, and imposed a lesser, concurrent sentence for participating in an organised criminal group.

“What I’m dealing with today marks a significant escalation in criminal behaviour, reflecting your blind obedience to the gang,” Justice Eaton said.

Whether Sua was willing to admit it or not, distributing methamphetamine caused severe harm, he said.

“It ruins lives.”