‘Drug parcel’ charge

A TASMANIAN man has been arrested on the Gold Coast, accused of sending a parcel of methamphetamines to the southern state.

Ashley Dinnessen, 42, was intercepted by the Australian Federal Police at Gold Coast airport on Friday afternoon and charged with possession and supply of dangerous drugs.

He is accused of posting 16g of meth from the Gold Coast to a post office box in Tasmania in December.

Mr Dinnessen was arrested and charged when trying to fly out of Gold Coast airport about 4pm.

The parcel was allegedly intercepted by Australia Post.

The man appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Saturday and was granted bail to return to Hobart. Federal police officers objected to the bail application but Magistrate Kerry Magee said the fact someone lived outside Queensland was not a reason to keep them behind bars.

“The fact you live interstate is not a ground for an objection to bail. It’s actually built into our Constitution, freedom of movement … except in cases of a global pandemic,” she said.

Duty lawyer Mollie Roper, from Cooper Maloy Legal, told the court Mr Dinnessen had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but was medicated.

She said the charges levelled against him would not result in actual jail time if he was convicted, but that the man denied the allegations.

“He instructs me he has the means to return to Queensland

to she said.

Ms Roper said the “white substance” was yet to be analysed but the actual substance weighed 11.2g without the packaging.

Mr Dinnessen was granted bail on the condition he reside in Hobart and report to police, only returning to Queensland for legal reasons. His matter returns to court on February 11. fight these charges,”