Addict warned of future in prison

A CAIRNS man with a $250 a day meth habit dealt drugs to feed his own addiction.

William George Dance was caught red handed with drugs and cash after police pulled him over in Mareeba in July last year.

A pat down search uncovered six 0.1 grams of meth and $600 cash in $50 notes.

Police also found 3.056 grams of ice, another $600 in cash in $100 notes and a small amount of cannabis.

He pleaded guilty in the Cairns Supreme Court yesterday to possessing dangerous drugs with a circumstance of aggravation, possessing cannabis and pipes.

Justice James Henry said Dance had “espoused nonsense responses” to police about the drugs.

“It is obvious and I so conclude that you were a person who was both a methylamphetamine user and who was dealing at street level in the drug,” Justice Henry said.

He had no relevant criminal history. Dance was being dealt with for possessing the drugs for a mixed personal and commercial purpose use. He was jailed for 15 months with immediate parole.

“You’ve jumped quite a number of stages,” Justice Henry said, adding that usually habitual drug users started with smaller penalties before moving up to jail orders.

“You’ve just gone straight to jail because of the seriousness with which the court regards even low level (drug dealing).

“Methylamphetamine spreads misery in the community to users, their loved ones, their families. It results in users becoming addicted and offending as you have or offending against property to raise money to fund their habit. Worst still in some users methylamphetamine evokes paranoia, aggression and violence.”

Dance was warned that he has one chance on parole and if he offended again he would go to jail.

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