Former couple Phoebe-Lee Keenihan and William Cluney pleaded guilty to drug trafficking

A teenager made the foolish decision to stuff her drug dealer turned lover’s $40,000 meth stash down her pants during a police raid, a court has heard.

A father-of-five’s drug dealing enterprise was exposed after police found a significant amount of evidence in his girlfriend’s underwear.

Phoebe-Lee Rose Keenihan’s loyalty to her drug dealer turned lover, William Geoffrey Cluney, 46, landed her her first criminal conviction.

During Cluney’s sentencing submissions earlier this month, the court heard police conducted a random search at a Torrensville house on May 28, 2020, and found 135g of methamphetamine, 83g of which was pure.

“It was secreted … in a singular large plastic bag that was down the front pants of the co-accused Ms Keenihan,” the prosecutor said.

The methamphetamine was valued between $13,500 and $40,000.

The court heard police also found a container of 667g of GHB, also known as fantasy, valued between $500 to $1000.

Keenihan, of Mansfield Park, and Cluney, of Seaton, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.

Supplied Editorial Fwd: Phoebe Keenihan was sentenced for drug trafficking. Photo: Facebook

Phoebe Keenihan. Photo: Facebook

Matthew Christey, for Cluney, said he was involved in an accident at work where he injured his neck and spine and stopped working.

“Things really spiralled out of control with his drug use and subsequent drug dealing,” Mr Christey said.

Mr Christey said Cluney’s relationship with the mother of his five children ended and he started an on and off relationship with Keenihan.

The court heard Cluney had no trappings of wealth and was dealing to fund his own addiction and to pay for day to day expenses.

Angus Redford, for Keenihan, now 21, told the District Court Cluney was introduced to her by her mother when she was 17 and they began a “toxic” relationship, despite him being older than her mother.

“He had been introduced as a family friend. She knew he was a dealer,” Mr Redford said.

“He would provide meth to her.”

The court heard Keenihan, who was a mother, had plans to move to Mount Gambier with her new boyfriend.

“She started (using) drugs a couple of years ago, she’s been using them sporadically,” Mr Redford said.

A prosecutor said they while they accepted Keenihan’s trafficking was at the lower end of seriousness, a short jail term was still appropriate.

“The size of the drugs found was significant,” the prosecutor said.

“That would have been known to Ms Keenihan when it was placed in her underwear.”

Judge Raul Soulio disagreed and due to Keenihan’s minimal role in the offending, he convicted her and sentenced her to a $1000, one-year good behaviour bond.

He will sentence Cluney, who is in custody, later this month.