Drug trafficker gets parole

Lucrative cannabis operation busted after cops’ phone find

A WARWICK father-to-be has narrowly avoided a stint behind bars after pleading guilty to running a drugtrafficking operation that earned him up to $4700 for a single sale.

Aiden Lee McKell’s scheme was busted wide open when police raided his home and seized his phone, on which they discovered text messages that showed he was sold cannabis daily between September 23 and November 7, 2020. Warwick District Court heard the 28-year-old sold the drug in amounts ranging from 1g to almost half a kilo and earned about $4700 a deal for the largest amounts.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso said McKell was taking both cash and credit payments from his 30-strong customer base, and organised further transactions through social media site, Facebook.

“Such was his confidence in his business that he was prepared to negotiate prices and tell customers when he had cannabis available, or when he expected it to arrive,” Ms Kelso said.

The court was told McKell’s commercial operation was driven by his own marijuana addiction, which began when he was just 15 years old.

Ms Kelso said the Warwick man had previously been before the courts for drug offending on several occasions, including after being nabbed by police with cannabis stashed between his buttocks.

“Most concerningly, despite him being a mature offender, he hasn’t taken heed of those prior court appearances or run-ins with police to dissuade him from using the drug or addressing his own use,” she said.

Defence barrister Jessica Goldie said McKell fell into drug addiction as a way of selfmedicating chronic pain caused by a genetic disease that affected his muscle and bone development.

Ms Goldie said that supporting his own habit eventually drove her client to dealing the drug himself, but he was now working with Carbal Medical Services to begin his rehabilitation.

“Other positive steps include breaking a relationship off with a drug user, and he is now in a relationship with a new partner who doesn’t use,” she said.

“His family, who are here today, have also noticed positive steps he’s taken this year to turn his life around.”

McKell pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking a dangerous drug.

He was sentenced to two and a half years in jail but was released on immediate parole.