Manu Vatuvei jailed for 3 years.

Former rugby league star Manu Vatuvei has been sentenced to three years and seven months in jail for importing methamphetamine.

Meanwhile, Vatuvei’s brother Lopini Mafi has been sentenced to seven years and two months behind bars for his involvement as the New Zealand head of the “unsophisticated” drug ring.

The brothers appeared at south Auckland’s Manukau District Court on Wednesday where Judge Jonathan Moses said the pair had contributed to the methamphetamine problem in New Zealand and their actions needed to be denounced.

Manu Vatuvei, nicknamed ‘The Beast’, played 226 games for the Warriors, scoring a record 152 tries. 

He represented New Zealand in 29 tests, and played two for Mate Ma’a Tonga, before persistent injuries saw him retire in 2017. 

Two years later, Vatuvei became a crowd favourite on Dancing with the Stars, and went on to win the competition. 

In May last year, Manu Vatuvei outed himself on social media as the unnamed sportsman facing drugs related charges, just days before his name suppression was due to lapse.