Gilligan's party goer sentenced for cocaine supply

An "empty-headed" young man caught supplying cocaine to police thought he was just gaining nightclub “status”, prosecutors have revealed.

Aaron Tibbou Oui, 23, has plead guilty to five counts of unlawfully supplying cocaine mainly to undercover police during 2023 and 2024 in a Cairns District Court.

An “empty headed” young man approached for cocaine by undercover police was shocked to realise that supplying the drug was illegal, a Cairns court has heard.

Aaron Tibbou Oui, 23, pleaded guilty to five counts of unlawfully supplying a dangerous drug and one count of using a mobile phone to supply a dangerous drug between May 2023 and February 2024 in a Cairns District Court.

Defence barrister Christina Fresta said Oui was naive and “just wanted to party”.

The court heard Cairns man Aaron Oui) never made any money from the nightclubs interactions. Picture: Facebook.

“He used to go out to Gilligan’s or to night spots … he just went out to have fun,” she said.

“He was clubbing with friends and engaged in recreational cocaine use and through that he’s then sighted the undercover officer.

“It's not the case that Mr Oui was seeking out customers, it is that as he was leaving Gilligan’s he has been approached by him (undercover officer).”

Oui was found to have sold increasingly larger and purer quantities of cocaine ranging from half to more than three grams throughout 2023, mostly to undercover police.

Aaron Oui was approached by an undercover policeman inside the Cairns nightclub Gilligans. Photo: Supplied

Crown prosecutor Peter Feeney said detectives were baffled given Oui never made money from the interactions.

“What they found was an empty-headed young man,” he said.

“He thought that by … supplying the drugs there’d be some status to be gained, some sort of a torture glamour.

“It appears for the first supply … there was a shouting of a round of drinks by the undercover agent.”

In a letter of support, a long term friend described Oui as “entrusting” and “going out of his way to help people.”

Mr Oui was sentenced to two years in jail, wholly suspended. Picture: Brendan Radke.

Mr Feeney said Oui was shocked to find out what he had done was illegal.

“He expressed some bewilderment in the interview (with detectives) to the idea that helping someone out by connecting them to a supplier could be an offence or could be called drug dealing,” he said.

“He said he’d never been paid.”

Judge Deborah Richards acknowledged Oui had led a life largely free of crime and hadn’t reoffended for more than 20 moths.

She said cocaine was a serious drug.

“Cocaine is considered to be quite a dangerous drug,” she said.

“I accept that you didn’t necessarily think what you were doing was illegal, but the fact is, it was.”

Oui was sentenced to two years in prison, wholly suspended.

Originally published as Gilligan's party goer sentenced for cocaine supply