Ninety Mile Beach smuggler and methamphetamine trafficker Ulakai Fakaosilea fails to get life prison sentence reduced

Home / New ZealandRic StevensOpen Justice reporter·NZ Herald·20 Sep, 2026 04:00 AM7 mins to read‌Open Justice reporter Ric Stevens explains what the term '501 Deportee' actually means and why so many reoffend.When he was a 7-year-old growing up in Australia, Ulakai Fakaosilea’s mother sent him out to help support the family, selling flowers on the side of the road.Violence and alcohol also featured in his upbringing, and Fakaosilea used alcohol, cannabis and other drugs from an early age. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.