Andrew John Fraser couriered nearly a kilo of coke and supplied to friend, court told
A Lower Mitcham business owner – who couriered nearly 1kg of cocaine and at one point consumed up to $1500 worth of the drug a week – was supplying to friends, a court has heard.
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A Lower Mitcham drug dealer who couriered nearly 1kg of cocaine should be treated leniently because he was only supplying drugs to friends, a court has heard.
Andrew John Fraser, 47, has pleaded guilty to three counts of drug trafficking, relating to methamphetamine and cocaine.
Fraser runs a successful painting business – FFD Painting Services.
Fraser’s counsel told the District Court on Monday that his client, who at one point consumed up to $1500 worth of cocaine a week, collected two packages in November 2016 – an unknown amount of methamphetamine in a Tupperware container hidden in an Uber Eats bag and 980g of cocaine – and delivered them to a friend.
He said the pair then broke down the large amount of cocaine into smaller packages over a number of weeks, and used some of it themselves in the process.
He said Fraser also admitted to supplying 3.54g of cocaine that he found “hidden in his house”, to a friend in March 2018 after he had personally stopped using the drug.
But, he said, no money changed hands.
“Effectively, Mr Fraser wanted to get rid of it and (the friend) wanted to use it,” counsel said.
The lawyer said Fraser “did not directly profit” from any of his drug dealing and was “effectively a courier” who only wanted to obtain cocaine for him and “other like-minded friends”.
“He was not dealing to the world at large, or to others in any commercial context and only really as a supplier, albeit as a supplier to his friends,” counsel said.
The court heard Fraser was introduced to drugs by fellow imbibers at a local hotel, where he would frequently drink after a “significant” injury in 2015 that resulted in him spending 18 months off work.
Counsel said Fraser had not been involved with drugs for more than two years and his painting business would struggle to survive if he was jailed.
Prosecutor Emma Townsend said Fraser was “above the level of a street level dealer” and participated in “a larger, highly sophisticated organisation”.
She said recordings between him and a friend showed him saying: “Every time I break an ounce down, I get 1000 bucks”.
Judge Sophie David ordered a home detention report be prepared.
Further submissions will be heard next month.