Drug courier gets jail time
AN ELABORATE and expensive interstate drug deal was busted when police caught the courier with millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine in North Queensland.
Justin George Stewart Moore was paid to transport ice and cash several times between Townsville and Charters Towers before he was recruited for a much longer drug run.
In August last year arrangements were made for Moore to fly to Brisbane, where he was given a car and almost $ 160,000 in cash.
The 39- year- old drove to Sydney where he met a man he knew only by a nickname. He exchanged much of the cash for 2kg of methamphetamine, which he had been ordered to drive back to the Townsville/ Charters Towers region.
The drugs had an estimated street value of $ 2 million.
On August 27, 2017, after travelling much of the near 2000km journey from Sydney, Moore was stopped by police on the Gregory Developmental Rd, heading towards Charters Towers.
Moore pleaded guilty to trafficking dangerous drugs and a number of other drug- related offences when he fronted Townsville Supreme Court yesterday.
Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate said the drugs were concealed in a car fridge before they were found by police.
Mr Walklate said more than $ 10,000 in cash and two mobile phones were also seized by officers.
The court heard Moore’s home was later searched and a smaller quantity of methamphetamine was seized.
Defence barrister David James said his client offered “significant co- operation” with the authorities, including an early guilty plea.
The court heard Moore became a user of methamphetamine when he was working overseas and after returning to live in Charters Towers became involved with people in the North Queensland drug trade.
Justice David North emphasised Moore was not an organiser or drug dealer, going as far to say he did not always know the extent of the dropoffs he was conducting.
“You took money in one direction and drugs in the other direction,” Justice North said. “You were a courier and a courier on limited financial reward.
“You are an intelligent adult who knew what was going on even though you may not have known the full extent or detail of each transaction.”
Justice North accepted Moore had taken considerable steps towards rehabilitation since his arrest but that a significant period of incarceration was required.
Moore was sentenced to four- and- a- half years’ imprisonment with the sentence to be suspended after 12 months for an operational period of five years.