COCAINE TRAFFICKER MATT HILTON IS ‘REMORSEFUL AND ASHAMED’

Court told Hilton took ounces of cocaine

COCAINE trafficker Matt Hilton is remorseful and ashamed and has gone cold turkey on a “superhuman” drug habit, the Cairns Supreme Court has heard.

The 33-year-old sold and snorted ounces of cocaine and used code in texts to customers, his sentencing hearing was told yesterday.

Texts between Hilton and a prominent business identity in Cairns said: “Catch up for a beer, one beer, two beers”.

“That’s code for how much,’’ defence barrister Michael Dalton told the court.

Mr Dalton said Hilton had gone “cold turkey” after consuming up to “a quarter” of the total amount of the drug sourced into Cairns from a Sydneybased organised crime syndicate over almost three years.

“He’s remorseful and ashamed,’’ he said.

Hilton (right) was getting an ounce of cocaine a month for eight months sent by Express Post from a Sydney warehouse linked to Sydneybased Lebanese businessman Kalid

Kanj, who provided

Hilton with an encrypted phone and has since fled the country, before larger quantities were sent by Toll, the court heard.

Supreme Court Judge Jim Henry said it was difficult to believe Hilton – a steroid-addicted body builder – snorted a quarter of the total volume of cocaine he imported as personal use.

“That would make him a superhuman consumer of the drug,’’ Justice Henry said.

“But it’s not unusual for someone dealing cocaine to be using it too.

“They think they’re bulletproof and it is just a harmless drug.”

Secret listening devices planted by police in Hilton’s luxury Chrysler sedan captured him doing deals and telling street dealers how to do business.

“It’s hard to say there was this amount of drugs and this amount of potential profit,’’ Justice Henry said.

“He was dealing with cocaine, some pingers on the way, and one instance of meth. But the figures are substantial.”

Hilton pleaded guilty to trafficking steroids, cocaine, crystal meth and ecstasy (MDA) pills between March 1, 2016 and January 3, 2018.

Justice Henry is due to hand down the sentence in Cairns Supreme Court at 10.30am today.