In 2020 four Navy personnel committed drug offences, including two members of the HMNZS Philomel in Auckland who were sentenced to about a year s detention each and dismissal. The Army dealt with 15 infringements that year while the Air Force dealt with two.
The data doesn t provide specific details, but the two HMNZS Navy personnel dismissed last year were revealed in media reports as technicians Ryan Carroll and Cadell Heney, both in their 20s, who pleaded guilty to charges relating to MDMA.
The data also mentions an Air Force worker who faced 85 days detention and dismissal in 2020. It matches the punishment handed down to Aircraftman Tom Lowther, 23 at the time, who pleaded guilty to six charges of consuming and offering to supply MDMA.