MISSING DRUG DEALER LIKELY FLUSH WITH CASH

Missing Hastings drug dealer Philip John Cowan may have had up to $150,000
cash and $20,000 worth of cannabis on him when last seen alive in
Wellington nearly seven months ago.

Wellington police investigating his disappearance and suspected murder say
cannabis and cash were probable motives for his death.

Mr Cowan was last seen in Wellington on March 25. His car was found
abandoned in Bulls on the weekend of March 29 with blood in it, later found
to be Mr Cowan's.

"Inquiries indicate that it's quite likely Mr Cowan had a significant
amount of cash in his possession at the time he disappeared," Detective
Senior Sergeant Steve Vaughan said.

"We believe (he) may have had four to five pounds (1.8 to 2.3 kilograms) of
cannabis in a blue barrel on the day of his disappearance. This amount of
cannabis could have fetched approximately $15,000 to $20,000 if sold in
this form."

Mr Cowan was previously described by police as a fairly minor player in the
drug scene. "We were certainly surprised that a person who had lived such a
nomadic, quite frugal, lifestyle had possibly accumulated so much money,"
Mr Vaughan said.

It was believed that much of the money in Mr Cowan's possession was in $100
bills.

Mr Cowan's disappearance was not reported to police till late in May. In
August, police upgraded the investigation to a murder inquiry.

Mr Vaughan said the 10 detectives working on the case had spoken to about
150 people so far, including family, friends, former schoolmates and drug
associates, to try to shed light on Mr Cowan's disappearance.

"While it's difficult investigating a case some months after the event, I'm
confident that at some stage the matter will be resolved and the people
responsible . . . will be identified."