Barbara Bethal Joan Smith jailed for Gladstone meth, marijuana supplies

A working mother who relocated after a relationship breakdown found herself in some trouble when she made ‘very poor judgement’ decisions.

A construction working mother-of-two’s drug supplies were discovered when police sifted through two drug user’s devices and found messages about the sales, a court heard.

A mother-of-two’s drug supplies were discovered when police sifted through two drug user’s devices and found messages about the sales, a court has heard.

Barbara Bethal Joan Smith, 43, had moved to Gladstone from Chinchilla after a relationship breakdown, her barrister Scott Moon told the Supreme Court in Rockhampton when she fronted the Supreme Court for 20 counts of supplying drugs.

Crown prosecutor Joshua Phillips said Smith supplied small amounts of drugs to two people during a three-month period in late July to mid October in 2022 while she was on probation for unlike offending (breach of DV).

He told the court last month seven of the 20 counts were related to methamphetamines and 13 were to marijuana.

Mr Moon said his client, who works as scaffolder and had worked in Western Australia for a period, had “very poor judgement” when she carried out the supplies after the break-up of the relationship as she had no financial support including being ineligible for financial support from Centrelink.

He said Smith was in a new relationship and had been exposed to amphetamine use.

Mr Moon said his client then started supplying drugs with 13 of the 20 charges being actual supplies.

“The schedule one drug is supplied on about five occasions… very low level,” he said.

Police were able to track $2950 exchange hands from the supplies Smith carried out.

“The defendant had the purchase the drugs in order to supply the drugs so the $2950 is not exactly what could be considered a profit,” Mr Moon said.

He said she has not committed any further drug offences since November 2022.

The court heard the supplies were revealed when police carried out searches at the residences of two drug users – one in New Auckland on September 30, 2022 and the other a South Gladstone address on October 20, 2022.

Smith’s Goondoon Street residence was searched by police on November 24 and she failed to provide her pin for them to access her phone.

Justice Graeme Crow said of the 20 drug supplies, the largest amount of meth Smith supplied was 0.5 grams for $250.

The court heard Smith, who completed high school in Chinchilla, had a minor criminal history.

Justice Crow said the material before him stated Smith started using marijuana socially while working in construction and became involved supplying drugs when struggling financially but was now drug free.

Smith pleaded guilty to the 20 counts of drug supply along with one count of contravene an order accessing electronically stored information and was sentenced to 2.5 years prison with immediate parole.