Pen gun, crystal meth: Toowoomba region cattle farmer Reece Spierenburg raided by drug squad

When Toowoomba’s drug squad raided a cattle farm north of Crowns Nest, a man offered up an unusual excuse after officers found a number of illegal items and weapons at the property.

A Toowoomba region farmer offered an unusual excuse after police raided his property. Picture: Kevin Farmer

A Toowoomba region farmer who seemed to have put his life of crime behind him was brought back to court after police found drugs, illegal weapons, and stolen property at his Emu Creek cattle farm.

Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told Reece Spierenburg’s criminal history showed he had issues with drug offending about a decade ago.

However, the court was told he was last before the court in 2020 for a non-drug related crime, and before that in 2017 for property offences.

Police prosecutor Tim Hutton said when officers went to Spierenburg’s property to execute a search warrant on December 14, 2023, they found him walking on the property and police escorted him back to the home.

Reece Spierenburg fronted Toowoomba court in August 2024 following a raid at his Emu Creek farm north of Toowoomba during December 2024.

Sergeant Hutton said during a pat-down search of Spierenburg, officers found 2g of meth and a glass pipe in the 51-year-old’s pocket, along with an unloaded pen gun.

Mr Hutton said officers also located an air gun, and a motorbike that had been reported stolen from Sunnybank, about 170km away south of Brisbane.

Sergeant Hutton said Spierenburg refused to answer any questions from police or give them access to his phone.

Spierenburg’s lawyer, director of Cullen Lawyers Corey Cullen said the pen gun was not his client’s, rather Spierenburg found it on the side of the road and had put it in his pocket.

Mr Cullen said the farmer was clean and had not relapsed into meth use, and had the drugs on him for recreational reasons over the Christmas period.

He noted Spierenburg had been out of trouble for the past four years and entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

At Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday, August 12, Spierenburg pleaded guilty to possessing drugs, possessing a drug utensil, receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of a weapon category A/B/M, and a category D/H/R weapon.

He was sentenced to a six-month jail term, suspended for 12 months.

Originally published as Pen gun, crystal meth: Toowoomba region cattle farmer Reece Spierenburg raided by drug squad