Former car dealer faces jail time

A former Auckland car dealer is facing possible life imprisonment in the US after pleading guilty to two serious drug charges.

Andre Francis James sold imported cars at a yard in New Lynn, which police allege doubled as a front for a drug-dealing business, before fleeing to Mexico.

The 50-year-old was arrested at a Mexican airport in November 2025 as part of an undercover operation by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), reports the NZ Herald.

He was transferred to California and charged with distributing nearly 300kg of methamphetamine into Los Angeles and San Bernardino on three occasions in 2022.

US court documents show he also planned to send drug shipments to Australia.

James has pleaded guilty to two charges, which carry a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life behind bars. He is due to be sentenced in November.

At the end of his sentence, the Herald reports James is likely to be deported to New Zealand where he is wanted by police for alleged drug trafficking.

He was a key target in Operation Maddale, a covert police investigation into the wholesale distribution of methamphetamine in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in 2019.

Drugs were reportedly hidden inside the dash area of some of the cars at his New Lynn business and driven to buyers in Wellington and Christchurch, according to the Herald.

Operation Maddale led to the arrest and conviction of a number of individuals, including Head Hunter, Mongrel Mob, King Cobra and Comanchero gang members.

James left the country partway through the 10-month operation, which meant police were unable to arrest him.

New criminal charges were laid against him in June 2025 after a separate investigation that led to allegations he imported methamphetamine and MDMA into New Zealand in 2022, reports the Herald.