Dealer’s 800 gram weed stash

RYAN James Knox’s network of selling dangerous drugs came crashing down after he was forced to flee his family home with his supply, the city’s Supreme Court heard.

The 24-year-old fronted Justice Debra Mullins yesterday where he pleaded guilty to 30 counts of supplying dangerous drugs and three counts of possessing dangerous drugs.

The court heard how a 2016 search of Knox’s car by police located all the makings of a low-level drug supply network - 801 grams of cannabis, 2 grams of methylamphetamine, viagra, scales, clip seal bags and $1200 in cash.

However, both his barrister David Jones and Crown prosecutor David Nardone agreed only some of the stash was used for a commercial purpose.

A police search of his phone found that Knox had supplied drugs to 18 different people on 30 occasions over a period of two weeks prior to his arrest, though only nine of the supplies were finalised. Mr Jones said Knox needed to sell the drugs to feed his own habit.

“He managed to conceal it where he lived at the time at his parents’ place,” he said.

“The reason he was found with that quantity of drugs was because his parents had enough of him at the time and he was told to get out of the house so he took what was most valuable to him - the drugs.”

Justice Mullins ordered that Knox serve a head sentence of 18 months of probation and not spend any actual time in jail.

“Although you did not appreciate it at the time, the police did you a favour when they arrested you,” she said.