DRUGS THEME IN DISAPPEARANCE OF PHILIP COWAN

Detectives investigating the disappearance of Hawkes Bay drug dealer Philip
John Cowan cannot rule out his being killed for cash after bragging about
his livelihood.

Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Vaughan of Wellington described Mr Cowan
as a "significant distributor of cannabis in the lower North Island" who
might have kept a hidden stash of tens of thousands of dollars.

It might be no coincidence that the 26-year-old disappeared in March, about
the cash-rich time to harvest a cannabis plantation, he said.

Mr Cowan is described as a deep-thinking Victoria University drop-out who
fancied himself as a philosopher and script-writer and was not shy to tell
strangers about how he made his money.

"He had the appearance of being a hippy, often barefoot with an unkempt
look, but he had a steady cashflow that he had access to," said Detective
Senior Sergeant Vaughan.

Mr Cowan was a money-oriented person who wanted to get rich quick and began
growing cannabis in crown forests around the Hawkes Bay two or three years ago.

Police believe he kept various well-planned small and mid-sized plots, and
several may have been in partnership with others.

Hawkes Bay born-and-bred, Mr Cowan is described in a recent electoral roll
as unemployed.

He attended Victoria University and also completed part of a polytechnic
design course in Wellington in 1997.

He kept a flat in Hastings but lived a nomadic lifestyle, often travelling
to Wellington to stay with friends or sleeping in the back of his car.

He was known to pick up hitchhikers, often telling them about his life.

He arrived in the capital on March 20 for a social visit and perhaps to
sell dope.

He went to a party in Island Bay on March 24 until about 8 am the following
morning. That day, he went to a fair at Makara and visited friends before
leaving Wellington about 5 pm, apparently to return to Hawkes Bay.

He has not been seen since, but his silver Nissan Sunny, registration
NA670, was found dumped a week later in the Manawatu township of Bulls.

A smear of human blood was found inside the vehicle but police will not
comment on where. It will be another week before it is known whether the
blood is Mr Cowan's.

Detective Senior Sergeant Vaughan said the appearance of Mr Cowan's car in
Bulls remained a mystery.

He apparently did not sell drugs in the area, had no friends in the
vicinity and no reason to pass through.