Freedom for underwear drug courier

A MAN who was caught at Hobart Airport with up to $152,450 worth of speed and cocaine concealed in his underwear has been released from jail after spending more than three months behind bars, but is now subject to a suspended sentence.

The Supreme Court in Hobart heard Nicholas Alan James Lawton, 26, arrived at Hobart Airport on a flight from Sydney about 9.20am on August 23.

Justice Stephen Estcourt, who sentenced Lawton on Friday, said Lawton was not travelling under his own name.

Justice Estcourt said Lawton was stopped by police and produced two medium zip lock bags from his underwear.

Inside one were two smaller zip lock bags containing a total of 194.4g of speed, and inside the other were four smaller zip lock bags containing a total of 110.5g of cocaine.

“The defendant told police that he had travelled alone from Sydney and prior to boarding the flight he had concealed both bags in his underwear,” Justice Estcourt said.

“He told police he did not look at the contents of the bags before he placed them in his underwear and was unaware of what was in each bag. He said that the drugs belonged to him but he denied being a drug courier.”

Justice Estcourt said that depending on the amount sold, the potential street value of the speed was between $34,350 and $97,200 and, the cocaine between $39,045 and $55,250.

Lawton pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in methyl amphetamine and cocaine.

Justice Estcourt said Lawton had numerous prior convictions including for dishonesty and violence, but no relevant prior convictions.

Justice Estcourt said Lawton had an acquired brain injury.

“He states that he cannot think through the consequences of his actions as a result of this,” Justice Estcourt said.

He said Lawton had been using drugs since he was 15 and had long abused, until recently, alcohol.

Justice Estcourt said Lawton had abstained from alcohol for some time, but he continued to use drugs and had a drug debt.

“It is in the context of that debt that he agreed to act as a courier, under duress, with no money to be paid apart from the redemption of the debt of some $1400 and a promise of half an ounce of cocaine,” he said.

Justice Estcourt sentenced Lawton to a year in jail, backdated to August 23 to take account of the time Lawton had already spent in custody. The rest of the sentence was suspended for two years.