Meth couple get five years

Trafficking began during pandemic

A husband and wife sat in the dock hand-in-hand as they faced a court after police uncovered their “drug trafficking enterprise”, which consisted of the pair selling methamphetamine and preparing to produce their own due to the Covid-19 drug shortage.

Adrian Roy Price, 46, and Amy Gai Price, 44, appeared in Townsville Supreme Court on Friday supported by their family after an Australia Post parcel tipped off Federal Police to their “serious” drug dealings.

Crown prosecutor Ashley Gaden said the couple came to police attention in April 2020 when the parcel Mr Price ordered from the US that contained 302.49g of pure methamphetamine to the street value of $500,000 was detected.

The court was told Mrs Price was aware her husband had sourced a wholesale supply of methamphetamine but was not involved in the transaction.

The following month, police executed a search of the couple’s Townsville home, however only Mrs Price was present and small amounts of drugs were uncovered.

Ms Gaden said police started an investigation using telephone interception to monitor the couple and identified they had been trafficking methamphetamine for six months to 28 customers and predominantly used three suppliers.

Additionally, throughout investigations, police found a tick sheet that showed the couple’s customers owed at least $113,000.

In some of the most serious offending, the court was told Mr Price obtained instructions on how to produce his own methamphetamine and sourced the relevant materials to make up to 4kg of the drug.

Defence barrister Claire Grant, instructed by Purcell Taylor Lawyers representing Mr Price, said it was accepted the trafficking occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“At which point methamphetamine was scarce and expensive,” she said.

“Mr Price sought to source a commercial amount because it was available in bulk in that regard rather than the usual way in which he sourced which was in far less quantities.”

Defence barrister Dane Marley instructed by Fisher Dore represented Mrs Price and provided a background to the woman, saying she had fought cervical cancer between the ages of 18 and 20, which is when he drug use began.

Justice David North said he agreed with Mr Marley’s statement when he referred to the offending as a “robust street level trafficking enterprise”.

Mr Price was sentenced to five and a half years’ jail with a parole eligibility date of December 10, 2025.

Mrs Price was sentenced to five years’ jail with a parole eligibility release date of November 6, 2025.