Archer Christopher John West avoids jail for smuggling drugs over prison wall
This archer has just missed serving jail time for a hugely ambitious plot to smuggle drugs into an SA jail over the heads of unsuspecting guards.
Police & Courts
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An archer who was caught smuggling drugs into one of the state’s prisons by firing a package-laden arrow over its walls has narrowly avoided becoming an inmate himself.
On Tuesday, the District Court opted to suspend Christopher John West’s 2.5-year prison term on condition he serve a three-year, $1000 good behaviour bond.
Prosecutors had asked the court to jail West for his role in a crime syndicate’s plan to deliver drugs to Port Augusta Prison inmates.
They said his arrow would have delivered more than 5g of drugs worth just over $31,000 to prisoners had West not been caught in the act by SA Police and Correctional Services officers.
Auxiliary Judge Gordon Barrett agreed West’s offending was serious – but said he was less criminally liable than the scheme’s mastermind, who received a suspended sentence from a different judge.
“His offending was more serious than yours, and he did not go to jail,” he said.
“Take it from me – if you breach this bond in any way, you will be liable to being brought back to court to serve the sentence I have imposed.”
West, 34, of Rosewater, pleaded guilty to drug offending, breaching a good behaviour bond and to the unrelated theft of two video cameras.
Last week, a prosecutor told the court West’s main offending occurred outside the walls of the Port Augusta Prison on September 6, 2021.
“CCTV footage shows him and a co-accused drive to the prison, pull up and arrange something at the boot of the vehicle,” she said.
“West can then be seen running toward the prison and, ultimately, shooting an arrow over the wall using a bow.
“That arrow carried 118 suboxone strips into the prison.”
She said suboxone, which is used to treat opiod withdrawal, was in high demand within the state’s prisons.
“The strips on the arrow contained a total of 5.71g of the substance and had a value of $31,400,” she said.
“It’s not alleged that West is the mastermind of this plan – his role was to fire the arrow and be the delivery person – but there is a need to deter others from such offending.”
David Moen, for West, asked the court to spare his client a prison cell of his own, saying the bowman was no more than a bit player in someone else’s “masterplan”.
“The academic David Suzuki once said that ‘fundamentally, the archer aims at himself’ – which is what my client did,” he said.
“This was an archery plan that was doomed to fail.
“He was to receive $500 for his involvement and he never received that money because he was detained and arrested at the scene.”
Mr Moen said West’s only role was to draw back and fire the arrow.
“He did not attach the drugs to the arrow, he did not purchase the arrow nor the bow used, his sole purpose was to fire the arrow,” he said.
“He also had no involvement in the sourcing of the drugs, and he was not aware of the amount of drugs on the arrow.”
On Tuesday, Auxiliary Judge Barrett said he would have sentenced West to three years’ jail if not for his guilty pleas.
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