Drug raids lead to court

First-time offenders busted for marijuana

TWO people with no previous criminal convictions appeared in the same North Queensland court on the same day facing the same charges of growing cannabis following separate police raids on the same day.

Peter Gardiner, 57, pleaded guilty in the Ingham Magistrates Court on Thursday to three offences under the Drugs Misuse Act and a charge each of illegal possession of a rifle and ammunition.

The drug charges were producing a dangerous drug, possessing a dangerous drug and possessing drug paraphernalia used to consume cannabis.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Rachel Todd said police executed a search warrant at Gardiner’s Bemerside home on the morning of September 1.

She said police recovered four cannabis plants 70cm tall, 120g of cannabis, a bucket bong, a pipe, two grinders and the rifle and ammunition.

She said Gardiner, who had no criminal history, said the cannabis was for medicinal purposes and the rifle for shooting snakes.

Sergeant Todd urged a significant fine as both a general and personal deterrent.

Gardiner, representing himself, said it was too expensive to obtain medical marijuana legally and the marijuana he grew was perfect to ease pain from a bad back.

He said the cannabis was not too strong and did not “zonk you out” and was a much better option than taking legally prescribed opioids, which made living a normal life impossible.

“Half a joint at night time, I can sleep proper, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with pain in my back and I can go ahead and do stuff the next day,” he said. “That’s the only reason I use it.”

Gardiner was fined a total of $1000 but no convictions were recorded.

Also appearing was Marcelle Brooks, who was arrested following a second police raid on September 1 – one of six search warrants executed by Ingham Police on the day.

Brooks pleaded guilty to three counts of producing a dangerous drug, possessing a dangerous drug and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Sergeant Todd said police recovered six cannabis plants 10cm in height, 11g of cannabis seeds and a pipe during the raid on the Ingham address.

She said Brooks claimed that she was not aware it was an offence to grow cannabis, that the weed was for her own personal use to treat depression after her mother died and that she had bought the seeds off the internet.

Brooks, representing herself, summarised her offending as a “stupid act”.

The magistrate said the offending was out of character and urged Brooks to explore legal ways of obtaining medicinal marijuana.

She was fined $450 and no conviction was recorded.