Simon Caldwell sentenced for drug trafficking in Whyalla, alongside former partner Renae O’Bryan

A drug dealer who entangled his hairdresser girlfriend in his enterprise turned to dealing meth after his wife left him and stuck him with her gambling debt.

A father has been locked up after the Whyalla drug dealing business he was the driving force behind was exposed by police.

Simon Andrew Caldwell, 47, turned to using methamphetamine as a coping mechanism and joined forces to sell the product with his former partner, Renae Elma O’Bryan.

The District Court heard police found over 7.39g of a substance, which contained 2g of pure methamphetamine, at Whyalla Norrie in October 2020.

Police analysed two phones and found messages consistent with O’Bryan and Caldwell selling methamphetamine for months.

The father-of-two pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking.

Simon Caldwell was jailed for drug trafficking. Photo: Facebook

Renae O’Bryan avoided jail for her role in the operation. Picture: Facebook

O’Bryan, who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, was sentenced last month to three years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of two years.

During O’Bryan’s sentencing, the court heard she took calls and packaged drugs for sale but was not the driving force behind the business.

Due to her rehabilitation efforts and minimal role in the offending, the sentence was suspended on a $100, two-year good behaviour bond.

The court heard Caldwell turned to using methamphetamine as a coping mechanism after he lost his job and his wife left him.

“You subsequently discovered your wife had issues with gambling and that your savings had been diminished as a result of her addiction,” Judge Ian Press said during sentencing.

“Not long after you were unable to meet the mortgage repayments on the house, your investment property and your new vehicle.

“Within a very short period of time, you felt as if you had lost anything of value to you.”

Judge Press said the fact Caldwell was motivated by the debt he owed and his addiction did not make the offending less serious.

He sentenced Caldwell to three years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and nine months.

“Your offending was part of an ongoing and not insubstantial business,” Judge Press said.

“The volume of drugs you were involved in distributing into the community was not insignificant, even if the profits were not being realised by you.”