Court cuts jail term for Bali bombing survivor Logan Maxwell in Taranaki meth case

When Logan Reece Maxwell was jailed for running a methamphetamine "shop" from his mother's house, there was a focus on how surviving one of the world's deadliest terrorist attacks contributed to his eventual dealing of meth in record amounts.

More than three years later, judges have taken a fresh look at the role the Bali bombing survivor played in the drug operation itself.

In 2020, about $350,000 in cash and 443 grams of methamphetamine were found by police following an operation targeting the Taranaki man.

At the time, it was the largest haul of the drug discovered in the region.

Then 39, Maxwell was unemployed, living with his mother, Margaret Jean O'Brien, and dealing meth from her Stratford home, which he referred to as "the shop".

Maxwell had Steven George Rowe play the role of shopkeeper when he was away from the house, and O'Brien would often phone her son to let him know when "customers" had arrived.

But that year, Maxwell was stopped by police while driving and a search of his vehicle turned up two socks hidden under a panel in the boot.

Each sock contained four large bags of meth, weighing a total of 443g.

Police later discovered two security deposit boxes containing the $350,000 in Auckland. The money belonged to Maxwell.

Following the offending, he was sentenced in 2023 to seven years and two months' imprisonment on a representative charge of supplying meth and one count of possession for supply.

His mother and Rowe were both sentenced around the same time to home detention for their involvement.

However, Maxwell later appealed, arguing the starting point in his sentence was too high and that he was given insufficient credit for his guilty pleas, rehabilitation and time spent on electronically monitored bail.

In a decision released this month, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Maxwell, finding that his sentence was manifestly excessive.

At his sentencing, Judge Tony Greig had found Maxwell played a "leading role" in the drug operation, describing him as the person directing and organising the buying and selling of meth on a commercial scale.

He adopted a starting point of nine-and-a-half years' imprisonment on the lead charge, increasing it to 11 years for the other offending, and then applied discounts.

Now, the Court of Appeal has found Judge Greig overstated Maxwell's role.

While it accepted that Maxwell ran his own operation, directed others and expected substantial financial gain, the court said he was not a "leading" player in the meth trade.

Instead, the judges found his involvement was more accurately described as "significant".

"It was not a leading role but, rather, more in the nature of a management or operational function," the decision stated.

"It is important to take into account that this was a relatively small‑scale operation, far more in the nature of a 'shop' than any significant large‑scale commercial operation."

The court found that a starting point of 10 years' imprisonment, rather than 11, should have been adopted.

With his original discounts factored in, his sentence was then reduced to six years and six months' imprisonment.

The senior court rejected Maxwell's arguments that he should receive more credit for his guilty pleas, rehabilitation efforts and time spent on electronically monitored bail.

It also left untouched findings that Maxwell's upbringing, addiction and experience as a victim of the Bali bombings had contributed to his offending.

Maxwell was 18 when bombs ripped through the tourist district of Kuta in 2002, killing more than 200 people.

He suffered burns after being blown across a dancefloor and later told the court he struggled for years with the psychological effects of the attack.

Both courts accepted the trauma helped pave the way for Maxwell's addiction and eventual drug dealing.

However, they also found the offending had evolved beyond supporting a meth habit, with Maxwell operating a profitable business and controlling hundreds of thousands of dollars generated by the trade.

Maxwell's original parole eligibility date was 2 November, 2024.

He has appeared before the Parole Board four times and will next appear in February 2027.

* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.