all this drug-related crime. If it was legal to obtain and use drugs in this country, perhaps we could spend the money saved in policing expenditure, running educative programmes and medical clinics to assist those who lack the strength to resist temptation. If drugs such as cannabis and heroin were available through government dispensing stores, perhaps the black market trade which stimulates all this drug-relate trade would recede." After leaving parliament After leaving Parliament, Meurant was elected onto the Rodney District Council in 1998. However, his time with the Rodney District Council was short-lived: the entire council was dissolved by the Minister of Local Government after an acrimonious relationship between the general manager and Meurant culminated in a split within the council. Between 1999 and 2004 Meurant was engaged by parliamentary services as a part-time adviser on agriculture, forestry, fishing and racing taxation policy to Winston Peters, leader of New Zealand First. During this period Meurant was a shareholding director of Digital Global Maps Limited, in which the principal shareholder was Vela Fishing. He also co-owned a thoroughbred horse agistment facility. In 2002, Meurant was convicted of impersonating police, common assault and inconsiderate driving following an altercation with a truck driver on the Desert Road. His business relationship with Philip Vela (Vela Fishing) as a director of Digital Global Maps Ltd and as a consultant to Peter Simunovich (Simunovich Fishing) ensured a high public profile. By the early 21st century, he was catapulted into national headlines during the "Scampi scandal" (2003–2009), which included allegations ranging from misreporting of fish catch totals by fishing companies as a mechanism to qualify for bigger allocations of privatised fish assets to allegations of large sums of money being directed from fishing magnates to Winston Peters by Meurant. In 2003 the Primary Industries Select Committee conducted an enquiry into allegations of impropriety involving the principals of Simunovich Fisheries Ltd, Winston Peters and Meurant. After an extensive investigation the allegations were rejected as unfounded and untrue. Contemporaneously, defamation proceedings against TVNZ and The New Zealand Herald were commenced by Simunovich Fisheries. In December 2009 the defendants capitulated and apologised, and reportedly settled for $15 million damages payment. During the 2008 general election Meurant was linked to large donations allegedly transferred from Vela Fishing and other magnates to New Zealand First – the political Party led by Winston Peters, a former National Party colleague of Meurant. In