Jail for drugs, fake cash

Offender claims he was helping his mate

A CAIRNS man caught with about half a kilogram of methylamphetamine and a stack of fake $50 notes claims he was only trying to help a mate.

Timothy David Williams used counterfeit money to buy a $650 Virgin Australia plane ticket from Sydney to Cairns on April 29 last year.

The Australian Federal Police were notified and Williams was picked up at Cairns Airport with $800 in his wallet and $12,150 in his checked luggage – all of it fake.

Commonwealth prosecutor Anna Carlander said Williams had also used fake money to buy a $100 power bank at Sydney airport.

The prosecutor said Williams initially denied knowing it was counterfeit currency or that he had any checked luggage.

“Counterfeiting money undermines the confidence of the Australian currency,” Ms Carlander said.

In his bag AFP officers found 489.3 grams of methylamphetamines.

Ms Carlander said 500 grams had a wholesale value of between $37,500 and $140,000 and a street value of between $100,000 and $1 million.

He pleaded guilty in the Cairns Supreme Court to seven charges including possessing and uttering counterfeit money and possessing and trafficking dangerous drugs.

Williams has already spent just over seven months in custody, which could not be declared, so he was jailed for four years, four months and 20 days with parole eligibility after one year, four months and 20 days.

Defence barrister Josh Trevino said that, against a background of drug addiction and Williams’ life spiralling out of control, he agreed to help out a fellow drug user.

“Someone I know got themselves into some sh**. So I’m doing what I can to help them out of it,” Williams told police.

He told officers that people, who lived in Sydney, had asked him to bring the drugs and money to Cairns and it was something they did about once a month.

If he did this $10,000 would be taken off his mate’s debt.

Justice James Henry rejected claims this was the only reason Williams offered to help and said it was more probable he was also gaining a benefit.