Vow to change after bust
A KEY figure in Geelong’s illegal drug trade has claimed he is “sick of jail” and wants to turn his life around after he was again caught with illicit substances.
Alex Urquhart, 28, faced Geelong Magistrates Court on Thursday over a significant drug bust at Fyansford this year.
Urquhart was at a home on Littlewood Drive in April when police raided the property and found him with 28g of ice and 1229g of 1,4 butanediol, a precursor to party drug GHB.
He was also carrying three diazepam tablets and more than $3600 cash.
Urquhart, who has a long history of drug dealing, was originally charged with trafficking in connection with the raid.
But the offences were dropped on Thursday as he instead pleaded guilty to drug possession and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Despite the withdrawal of the most serious charges, Magistrate Peter Mellas said he was satisfied Urquhart was in possession of the drugs for the purposes of trafficking.
After his arrest in April, Urquhart spent more than five months in custody until he
was bailed to a rehabilitation clinic in Shepparton this week.
Defence lawyer Niamh Harrington said Urquhart was determined to change his life after repeated stints in prison for drug-related offending.
“He’s sick of being in jail, he’s sick of disappointing his family and really wants to work towards living a more normal life,” Ms Harrington said.
She said Urquhart had not held a job since 2013, which she partly blamed on media coverage of her client’s brushes with the law.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Chris Sinfield said the court should be considering a further term of jail beyond the 161 days Urquhart had already spent in custody.
Mr Mellas said he considered the offending to be serious, despite the withdrawal of the trafficking charges.
“It’s not trafficking per se, but quite clearly the quantities of methamphetamine and butanediol that was found (means) it’s very difficult to conceive how that was for personal use,” he said.
The magistrate said he was not convinced Urquhart had reached a “turning point” in his life.
But he chose to defer sentencing to allow time for Urquhart to prove himself.
“I think there needs to be a period of time to reflect and see whether you’re able to live up to the commitments you’re making,” Mr Mellas said.
Urquhart will be sentenced on November 11.