An ambitious drug runner became involved in an international and sophisticated syndicate after facing financial pressure and out of an obligation to provide for his family.

Maximiliano Javier Luna​, originally from Argentina,​ previously admitted a raft of drugs charges. Luna was arrested alongside six other men and one woman as part of Operation Mystic in 2020, an eight-month police operation after which police seized $5 million worth of drugs.

The kingpin of the syndicate was Xavier Valent, also known as Harry Whitehead, was extradited from Italy to New Zealand and earlier this year was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Luna appeared at the High Court at Auckland on Tuesday after he previously admitted importing MDMA, possessing cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, ephedrine and LSD for supply and supplying methamphetamine, MDMA and ephedrine.

Justice Graham Lang sentenced him to nine years and 11 months’ imprisonment. Luna will have to spend at least four years behind bars before being eligible for parole.

Firearms were seized by police during Operation Mystic. Luna was not charged with firearms offences. Photo: NZ Police/Supplied.

Luna’s lawyer, Matthew Goodwin, told the court this case was a tragedy.

“There has been a real fall from grace for someone who is a family man and a church-going man.”

Luna came to New Zealand for a new beginning and faced financial pressure with one of his businesses before he became involved in the drug enterprise, Goodwin said.

The court heard Luna’s grandfather died in 2019 and there was a downward spiral in terms of his mental health with an expectation placed on him to provide.

However, prosecutor Ben Kirkpatrick pointed out Luna began working for the syndicate in 2018.

Justice Lang said the offending was driven out the need for money not because of his background and upbringing.

Luna was supported at the sentencing by family, church ministers and friends which Justice Lang said he was lucky to have.

It was in September 2018 Luna became involved in the syndicate through another member.

He initially agreed to receive imported drug packages to his home.

By November 2019, Luna was the primary runner for one of the storemen and was receiving between $2000 and $5000 in cash for his role.

Luna was given a red Audi to use for his drug runs. He disputes that.

Court documents said he would receive lists and then work delivering drugs around Auckland from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, unless there was a “special occasion”.

One of Luna’s orders included a kilogram of meth in a tea package and MDMA in a Keri juice bottle.

One of the storeman’s other workers had previously sent a picture to him of the MDMA in the juice bottle, cash and other drugs.

Justice Graham Lang sentenced Maximiliano Javier Luna on Tuesday. Photo: David White/Stuff.

“Perfect. You are perfecting the art of disguise very well,” the storeman said in a message.

Luna’s role never progressed from “runner”, but he had an appreciation of how the syndicate worked and demonstrated ambition to progress into another, more significant role within the syndicate, Justice Lang said.

Luna also asked multiple times about being paid more.

Another of Luna’s roles was to deliver significant amounts of cash to an unethical money remittance business. That money would be laundered and sent overseas to Valent in order to pay for the drugs.

The court heard Luna moved to New Zealand when he was 12 as his parents were concerned about economic uncertainty and the high crime rate in Argentina.

Luna received discounts off his sentence for the guilty plea, remorse and rehabilitated prospects and time spent on bail.

- Catrin Owen/Stuff.