Blake Andrew Gleeson jailed for trafficking 4kg of marijuana

A man who sparked a wild police chase before hiding in some shrubs with 4kg of weed is behind bars, despite his lawyer’s best efforts. See the photos.

A father who sparked a police chase was found hiding in some shrub in a desperate bid to keep his commercial drug enterprise hidden.

Despite his lawyer’s best efforts, Blake Andrew Gleeson, 29, was jailed for his creative attempts to hide a significant amount of weed.

During sentencing, the District Court heard a police officer was conducting speed control duties between Pirie and Port Augusta on May 26, 2020.

Gleeson was driving a silver Commodore when he overtook the unmarked police car at 140km/h.

The police officer gave chase and Gleeson evaded him.

Blake Gleeson was found hiding in some shrub on a stranger’s property. Picture: Courts SA

Some of the shrub on the Port Paterson property. Picture: Courts SA

However, officers eventually found him hiding in some shrubs on a stranger’s property in Port Paterson.

They followed footprints to some bushes and trees where they found a bag of marijuana hidden.

The bag had some dirt, leaf material, plants and sticks thrown on top of it.

Some of the drugs found. Picture: Courts SA

Some of the drugs found. Picture: Courts SA

The court heard the bag contained 4.43kg of marijuana in 10 separate vacuum-sealed packages and was valued between $20,000 to $25,000.

Police then went to Gleeson’s Port Pirie house and found a vacuum heat-sealing machine and a grow room.

The Solomontown father was found guilty at trial of large commercial drug trafficking, with a prosector saying he served up a “load of malarkey” to the jury.

Judge Paul Cuthbertson said he did not accept Gleeson’s explanation that half of the marijuana was for his own use and the other half was to be given to a friend to repay a favour.

“I find that the most likely explanation is that he was transferring it to a person or persons unknown for the purposes of sale,” he said.

The court heard Gleeson had previously worked in Mount Gambier but was currently working as a labourer in Port Pirie.

During sentencing submissions in September, Sally Burgess, for Gleeson, pushed for a suspended sentence, noting his partner was pregnant and he ceased drug use.

Judge Cuthbertson said Ms Burgess had “tried hard” but immediate jail was the only appropriate penalty.

He sentenced Gleeson to three years jail, with a non-parole period of 18 months.