Back into old drug trap

Shoulder injury leads to opioid dependence

OPIOID addiction from a workplace injury led a convicted meth trafficker to fall off the wagon, a court heard.

Chaise Dillan Fitzgerald had been released on parole in 2016 for a 2014 seven-year Townsville trafficking rap.

When he tried to go straight, he injured his shoulder, which led to a dependence on prescription opioids.

“To add to that, in 2017 a back injury added more issues,” Michael Dalton, defending, told Cairns Supreme Court.

Fitzgerald, 31, came undone when he ran out of prescription meds while visiting his estranged wife in Sydney.

Mr Dalton told the court his client turned to illicit drugs to combat the pain.

“He started to withdraw and could not get medication prescribed,” Mr Dalton said.

With a resurgent habit and also dealing, Fitzgerald’s Mt Sheridan residence was raided by police who found, cannabis, methylamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.

“It is conceded the possession was primarily commercial,” Mr Dalton said.

Justice Jim Henry said Fitzgerald was caught in “a trap of his own making”.

He sentenced Fitzgerald – who pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs and scales – to 2½ years in jail with parole eligibility from April 15, 2021.

The correlation between meth and opiate use has been established by the Queensland Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies.

In June QNADA chief executive Rebecca Lang said there were signs the state could spiral into an opiate crisis.

“With the availability of prescription opioids we’ve seen quite significant increases in prescribing for a number of years now – certainly still enough to be a cause for concern,” she said.

Ms Lang said ice addicts were learning it was a “really fast way to ruin your life” and many were quitting.

“They’re not stopping altogether. There’s concern in the sector at the moment that opioid use is what they are switching to,” she said.