Christchurch resident Kim Michael Dozier had been operating an arcade out of his garage for several years. Known as “Kimzone,” this hyperlocal gaming venue hosted neighbors, family, pinball wizards, and even tournaments. It also housed six-figure quantities of MDMA, magic mushrooms, cocaine and more. Last year, police arrested Dozier after he was found to be selling drugs at his game room. In addition to a prison sentence, the police are now also confiscating his pinball machine collection.
According to The New Zealand HeraldDozier’s residence was raided by police last May, and caches of drugs were discovered around the house, some even inside his pinball machines. Serving a four-year sentence, authorities also confiscated these pinball machines under the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery) Act, so they could be resold to new owners.
The drugs totaled about $125,000, but ironically, the pinball machines are estimated to be worth even more. His collection, 13 machines in total, was kept in a colorfully decorated garage known as Kimzone. They range from recent Stern paintings as Jaws And Godzilla to vintage Williams machines. The judge accused Dozier of using the arcade to serve as a drug counter outside his own home.
“You ran a relatively sophisticated operation to support your lifestyle and sell drugs,” said Justice Stephen O’Driscoll“especially in the later stages when you were unemployed.”
While contemporary pinball machines and barcades play a rather gentrified game, a more historically savvy gamer would know that Dozier was only honoring tradition. In their heyday, dark, noisy arcades were particularly notorious as a means of drug dealing, busy spaces filled with lots of young people sneaking around. Famously, William Gibson’s vision of cyberpunk comes from the arcadesa crash between virtual space, circuit bending and body highs.
Although this seems like an excessive measure on top of a sentence of several years in prison, Dozier’s lawyer says he agreed to the confiscation and sale of his machines. The arrest also hasn’t affected his reputation much in the local pinball community, as he is still ranked #1. 30th best player in the country.