He led a double life – second in charge of a drug-dealing gang ordering ”Mafia-like” tactics and working as a youth worker for an Oranga Tamariki-linked agency.

Now Mark Glassie has been jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to 13 charges that involved the Rebels gang running a large-scale drug operation that supplied wholesale amounts of methamphetamine, LSD and MDMA throughout the North Island.

Court documents revealed Glassie involved youths in his drug dealing and they were taught how to destroy evidence should the police do a bust at his house.

Glassie was vice-president of the gang and was considered to be in charge of logistics and order.

He was described by Rotorua District Court Judge Greg Hollister-Jones as being in charge of “serious examples” of “Mafia-like” tactics within the gang.

The charges he was jailed for included two for participating in an organised criminal group, three for supplying methamphetamine, one for offering to supply methamphetamine, one for possession of cannabis for supply, four for charges relating to class B drugs and two for crimes against the justice system.

The charges stemmed from a police operation that targeted the Rebels gang between July and October 2019.

While Glassie was only found to be personally dealing small amounts of methamphetamine, Judge Hollister-Jones said it was his management role in the operation that made his offending significant.

He said his “Mafia-like tactics” included leading a “manhunt” throughout the North Island for a dealer who took $125,000 worth of methamphetamine without paying. There were instructions to give him a “boot ride” if caught and Glassie told his wife on the phone if he caught the man he would kill him.

Glassie was involved in getting one of his female street-level dealers to concoct a story of theft to police as a way of trying to flush out the drug thief.

He was also involved in organising a prospect to “put his hand” up for drug offending to help other gang members get off.

At weekly gang meetings at a North Island pad, Glassie and his fellow patch members would discuss gang business. Glassie’s role was to organise wholesale amounts of drugs and supply dealers throughout the North Island.

But there was another side to Glassie, the court heard.

His lawyer, George Burns, said the father of four kept his gang life, and his family and work life separate.

“This was a man who led a double life. He was a kind, caring, family man and mentor to youths but he was also a patched member.”

Although court documents said Glassie took three youths with him to Auckland on a cannabis drug deal involving 22 pounds (9.98kg) of cannabis valued at $88,000, Burns tried to clarify the position saying Glassie did not want to leave the youths alone.

He said they stayed in a separate hotel room to him and a youth only became involved when he asked him to ring one of his dealers who had had a large amount of cannabis stolen from him.

Burns said Glassie had tried calling the dealer himself but he was not picking up his phone and he needed someone to call him from another unknown number.

Judge Hollister-Jones questioned Burns’ submission, saying it was a fact Glassie took the youths with him.

“It wasn’t a boys’ trip to Rainbow’s End was it?” the judge said.

Burns also presented letters of support to the court, including from a youth who had formerly been associated with Glassie.

Other letters of support said Glassie was a natural leader who made a difference in the community.

Burns said Glassie felt abandoned by his mother when his parents separated when he was a young teen and he didn’t have a close connection to his Cook Island culture.

He found camaraderie in the gang when he joined aged about 38 and developed a substance addiction. His role in the gang meant he had a steady flow of drugs, leading to his offending when he was aged 43.

But Judge Hollister-Jones said he struggled with Burns’ submission that Glassie’s background was somehow responsible for his offending.

Glassie had never been to prison and his previous convictions were 13 years ago for family violence. Judge Hollister-Jones said Glassie’s previous roles meant he passed the “good character” tests with an employer where he worked with disadvantaged children, and a social work agency.

“You had to go through a rigorous interview process yet you say ‘My background is why I am like I am’. I’m really struggling with this and can’t join the dots.”

Oranga Tamariki told the Rotorua Daily Post in a statement earlier this week it was not aware Glassie was a gang member as vetting processes were dealt with on a local level by contracted agencies. However, it says it has since tightened its protocols.

Judge Hollister-Jones suppressed the name of the social services agency that employed Glassie. That agency was approached for comment but didn’t respond.

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