Maker of fake cash, drug buyer spared jail

A MAN who created $ 37,200 in counterfeit money and imported illegal drugs into Australia has been spared jail.

Benjamin Richard Vernon, 47, pleaded guilty in Townsville Supreme Court yesterday to the Commonwealth crimes of making and possessing counterfeit money and two counts of importing bordercontrolled drugs.

He also pleaded guilty to the state offence of possessing a mobile phone used for a drug crime, three counts of possessing drugs and two counts of supplying marijuana.

Commonwealth prosecutor Madonna Hayes said that on April 6, 2015, border authorities in Brisbane detected a white crystalline substance in a parcel from China addressed to Vernon’s Belgian Gardens home.

The substance contained just under 150g of pure alphapyrrolidinovalerophenone, or alpha- PVP. Three days later, NSW Customs officers seized an envelope, sent from Poland to Vernon’s home, which contained 8g of pure alpha- PVP.

Police searched Vernon’s home on April 16 and found 290 sheets of A4 paper, each with six $ 20 notes printed on them. The uncut sheets totalled $ 34,800. There was also a cardboard envelope containing $ 2400 worth of cut $ 20 counterfeit notes.

Vernon, a former Townsville Bulletin employee, told police he ordered the drugs online as cheaper alternatives to methylamphetamine.

Defence barrister Justin Greggery said Vernon had attention deficit disorder.

Justice David North accepted that for sufferers of ADD the ingestion of amphetamines creates normalised behaviour rather than euphoria or intoxication.

Vernon was sentenced to six months jail but released immediately on parole, for the state offences, and entered into a two- year, $ 2000 good behaviour bond on the Commonwealth offences.