Former Olympic boxer jailed for importing 216kg of meth

41-year-old New Zealand born Adam Tony Forsyth fought for Australia in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.

Forsyth and his 51-year-old co-accused Australian Sean Leslie Cooney were arrested as part of Operation Ali, an undercover police operation which found 216kg of methamphetamine in boxes the pair were seen loading onto a trailer in Rotorua.

Both men pleaded guilty and were sentenced today in the Hamilton District Court.

Forsyth received a sentence of 12 years and 5 months imprisonment, while Cooney got 15 years and 6 months for his part in the crime.

The seizure was the second largest in New Zealand at the time.

Police investigations revealed the drugs were packaged in exactly the same way as another large haul found months earlier in an Auckland apartment, which was the subject of a separate police investigation – Operation Essex – which saw former nunjitsu master and bodyguard Anothny Charles Netzler jailed for 15 years.