Dealer jailed, ‘ boss’ at large
A DRUG trafficker busted with more than $ 1 million of illicit substances and a massive stash of cash has been jailed while the mastermind behind the lucrative drug business remains undetected.
The sentencing of Geoffrey Leonard Cramp in Townsville Supreme Court yesterday alluded to an even more sinister drug offender in the Townsville region, referred to only as “the boss”.
More than 500g of pure methamphetamine, 2200 ecstasy tablets, 12.4kg of cannabis, 747 LSD tabs, 4.52g of pure cocaine and about $ 459,000 cash was found by police when Cramp’s Currajong property was raided on September 22, 2016.
Cramp pleaded guilty to trafficking dangerous drugs and seven counts of possessing dangerous drugs.
The drugs were hidden in paint cans and buckets inside sheds and along an easement at the side of Cramp’s property.
Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate said the drugs were hidden in plain sight with members of the public easily able to access their location.
He said the street value of the drugs was more than $ 1 million.
Defence barrister Harvey Walters said Cramp, the son of a former police officer, was not the main man in the drug business. It was proposed that Cramp’s involvement was as a “warehouse worker” for the drug organisation, dealing with the storage of cash and substances.
“There is no evidence my client has been involved in any sale of the drugs or that he marketed any drugs,” Mr Walters said. “He told police when they came there that he got it from ‘ the boss’.” Mr Walklate contacted Townsville’s Major and Organised Crime Squad during the court proceedings and was informed by Senior Sergeant Brad Phelps that investigators had not yet identified the principal offender.
The court heard Cramp became involved in the drug business after developing a methamphetamine habit.
Justice David North noted Cramp’s lack of co- operation with police and late plea of guilty when considering his sentence.
“You spoke of ‘ the boss’ but you declined to tell officers who that person was,” Justice North said.
Mr Walters said his client had received threats against him and his family from the unnamed man in charge of the drug business.
Justice North sentenced Cramp to nine- and- a- half years’ imprisonment, to be eligible for parole after serving half of that time.
It was noted that Cramp had spent the 760 days in persentence custody which was declared time served.