Cooper Standley and Jordan Wiseman were handed suspended sentences for their marijuana enterprise

A dealer who had inherited a significant drug debt joined forces with his school mate to grow, sell and ship large amounts of marijuana to make some quick cash.

Two mates teamed up to grow and sell marijuana in efforts to make some quick cash, one to repay a debt and the other to fuel his own drug habit.

Cooper John Standley, 23, and Jordan Andrew Wiseman, 23, avoided jail in the Adelaide District Court on Monday for their significant marijuana enterprise.

The court heard Wiseman attended a Nailsworth Pack and Send store on June 2, last year and arranged for a large box to be sent to Western Australia.

“Employees of the store phoned police because the heavily taped package appeared to be suspicious,” Judge Liesl Chapman said during sentencing.

Cooper Standley and Jordan Wiseman were handed suspended sentences in the Adelaide District Court on Monday. Picture: Instagram

Inside the package were 12 sealed bags of marijuana, weighing 5.61kg.

“The potential value of the drug you were sending to Western Australia, if sold locally, was just over $29,000 if sold in pound lots,” Judge Chapman said.

Police searched Wiseman’s Seaton house and found marijuana, a book on how to grow marijuana and prescription drugs.

“Later that evening police attended at a Kilburn address because that was an address where you had been seen,” Judge Chapman said.

Police were greeted by Standley at the door.

“At the house there was operational hydroponic cannabis set up of nine mature cannabis plants,” Judge Chapman said.

Standley, of Seaton, and Wiseman, of Waikerie, had previously pleaded guilty to cultivating a controlled plant, while Wiseman also pleaded guilty to commercial drug trafficking.

The court heard Standley, who was friends with Wiseman from school, asked for his help knowing he would have experience growing marijuana.

“You have been a long time cannabis user,” Judge Chapman said.

“You had the idea to grow cannabis to save yourself some money and to make a bit of cash.”

Judge Chapman sentenced Standley to nine months jail, suspended on two-year good behaviour bond.

She turned to sentence Wiseman.

The court heard Wiseman was contacted by an old friend to introduce him to people involved in drug activity.

“In early 2019, you were contacted by those people who told you that your friend had gone into hiding with a $100,000 drug debt,” Judge Chapman said.

“They also told you that because they could not recover the debt from him, they were holding you responsible for that debt.”

The court heard Wiseman was told if he did not pay there would be consequences and he feared they would harm him or his family.

Wiseman, who found out his friend had died from a suspected drug overdose, agreed to grow and sell marijuana with Standley and split the profits equally.

“You saw it as an opportunity to repay the balance of your debt,” Judge Chapman said.

“You had been told that you could receive almost double the amount by sending to Western Australia.”

Judge Chapman sentenced Wiseman to four years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and seven months.

The court heard Wiseman, who had also been sentenced in 2017 for trafficking MDMA, had proven he had rehabilitated from his own drug habit.

The sentence was suspended on a three-year good behaviour bond, with two years supervision.