The New Zealand Parole Board has confirmed that Aiyaz Mohammed Musa Umarji, a citizen of Fiji, appeared before it last Wednesday. Umarji was sentenced to four years in prison by the New Zealand High Court in August 2023 for bringing pseudoephedrine tablets, which are a precursor for methamphetamine, into the country.
According to court documents, Umarji collaborated with an accomplice to arrange for the shipment of 3,600 packets of the medication from Turkey to Fiji, with the drugs being routed through New Zealand. The total number of pills brought into New Zealand amounted to 108,000.
At the time of the offense, Umarji owned Hypercam Pharmacy in Lautoka, Fiji. He left Fiji to face sentencing in New Zealand and, following a plea deal, appealed his original four-year sentence in December 2023. Justice Laura O’Gorman reviewed the case and subsequently reduced the sentence to three years and six months, crediting him for returning to New Zealand to face justice.
Geordie Cassin, the communications manager for the New Zealand Parole Board, reported that the details of Umarji’s appearance before the board would be made public within ten days, but he did not disclose the outcome of the hearing.