Cody James Kelly, Imogen Dawn Quinlan among Gympie’s drug dealers
There were more than 700 drug offences recorded in the region in 2023, but taking a dealer off the streets is a big win for police. Here are the dealers busted in Gympie in the past year and how police brought them down.
Police & Courts
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In 2023, 710 drug offences were recorded in the Gympie local government area, up from 540 in 2022 but down from 981 in 2016, which was the highest in 20 years.
Drugs continue to be a scourge in the region, contributing to crime and violence and destroying young lives, but police data does reveal a general decline in the total number of drug offences recorded in the past eight years.
Despite that, the number of recorded drug offences remains higher than at any point between 2000 and 2014.
Police crime figures show the spate of drug offending in the past year peaked in November, and was at its lowest point in April and May.
The most common time drug offenders were caught was between 6am and 9am, when a combined 122 crimes were recorded by police.
These reports more commonly recorded on Tuesdays.
Cody James Kelly, 21
A young deckhand landed himself “in red hot s--t” after being caught dealing thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs and four pencil guns.
Cody James Kelly, 21, of South Gladstone, pleaded guilty in Gympie District Court on November 16, 2023, to one count of supplying a category A weapon, and 15 counts of supplying dangerous drugs.
The court heard the string of crimes was carried out at Gympie over a year, from January 2022 to February 2023.
Kelly’s most serious crime was trying to sell four pencil guns.
He was sentenced to six months’ jail for supplying the weapons, and two years jail for the drugs offences.
The court heard Kelly had dealt, or arranged to deal, marijuana, MDMA, and meth.
The biggest of the deals was in March 2022 when Kelly supplied 4.21kg of marijuana worth about $15,000.
Full details here.
Rade Trivanovic, 40
A 40-year-old Gympie man faced court after pleading guilty to 18 charges brought against him after police found evidence linking him to drug and weapons supply on his phone.
Rade Trivanovic appeared in the Gympie District Court on February 7, 2024 and pleaded guilty to 18 charges of possession of drugs and weapons, and supply of drugs and weapons.
The charges came after police went through Trivanovic’s phone when he was arrested for his involvement in a stabbing at Gympie’s Toucan Cafe in December 2022.
Trivanovic pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm for that offence, and was sentenced to nine months’ jail at the time.
Regarding the subsequent drugs charges, the court heard police found messages on Trivanovic’s phone indicating supply or offer of supply of cannabis and methamphetamine between October and November of 2022.
He was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an immediate parole release date.
Full details here.
Liam Jye Kirstenfeldt, 25
Details of a drug dealing tradie’s gruesome attack on a woman have been uncovered in court, including that he said “you’re going to sleep now” while choking her.
Liam Jye Kirstenfeldt, 25, pleaded guilty in the Gympie District Court on January 30, 2023, to 42 charges, including choking, trafficking a drug, six counts of assault, and 29 counts of supplying a dangerous drug.
The court was told that Kirstenfeldt was in a heated argument with a woman on June 16, 2021 when he placed her in a chokehold.
Police later arrested Kirstenfeldt at the house and seized his phone, where they found 73 interactions with 10 customers, with the aim of selling marijuana.
These messages were dated between May 2020 and June 2021.
He sold amounts ranging from three grams to 112 grams – for $1200 – crown prosecutor Michael Andronicus told the court.
Of the 73 interactions, 50 resulted in sales.
The phone also contained evidence Kirstenfeldt sold meth 29 times.
He frequently contacted his customers first when he restocked and advertised his product.
Kirstenfeldt was sentenced to three years’ prison to be released on parole on February 16, 2023.
Kirstenfelt also pleaded guilty to possessing anything thing used in connection of trafficking, four counts of possessing utensils or pipes, possessing anything used in the commission of a drug offence and attempting to pervert justice.
Full details here.
Imogen Dawn Quinlan, 21
A young woman caught selling meth to her boyfriend avoided jail time by the skin of her teeth after landing a spot in a rehabilitation centre.
Imogen Dawn Quinlan, 21, pleaded guilty on August 10, 2023 to 18 counts of supplying dangerous drugs across an almost eight-month period between August 23, 2021, and April 16, 2022, for payments of between $50 and $400.
Seventeen of those deals were to her boyfriend at the time.
Gympie District Court was told Quinlan supplied between 0.1g and 0.5g of the drug on nine occasions.
On five other occasions she offered it, and four times took preparatory steps to supply it.
Quinlan was sentenced to 12 months’ jail with immediate parole.
Judge Bernard Porter said the only thing stopping Quinlan from being returned to jail – she spent 31 days in pre-sentence custody at Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre at Wacol for other offending – was her compliance with a year-long drug rehabilitation program she had been accepted into in March, 2023.
Full details here.
Jack Raets Mcfadyen, 28
An ex-miner was jailed in March 2023 after being caught with text messages on his phone detailing drug deals dating back five years.
Jack Raets Mcfadyen, 28, pleaded guilty in Gympie District Court to seven counts of supplying drugs, brought against him after the incriminating text messages were found.
The court heard police searched Mcfadyen’s home in relation to other drug matters on May 1, 2022 and discovered text messages revealing his dealings with customers dating back to 2018.
The first two occasions were in January 2018, when Mcfadyen sold acid to the same person twice, the court was told.
He offered acid a third time to that person a month later, and told him the drug was “always available,” crown prosecutor E. Bolan said.
His next sales were in November 2021: Mcfadyen was contacted by another customer and agreed to meet them to sell 0.5g of meth in exchange for $350, the court heard.
Then in March 2022, he sold $150 worth of MD5, offered about 7g of cannabis to another person and, in April 2022, was recruited by someone else to sell 0.5g of meth to “help get some sales”.
Mcfadyen was sentenced to 18 months jail, and released on parole after six months on September 23, 2023.
Full details here.
James Scott Hayes, 29
A man who tried to hang his pregnant partner was released immediately on parole from Gympie District Court after pleading guilty to strangulation, wilful damage and supplying drugs.
James Scott Hayes had been held in pre-sentence custody for 18 months after he was arrested for strangling his partner with a rope in October 2021.
The 29-year-old, covered in tattoos, including an RIP tattoo on his upper lip, appeared calm as he was escorted into the courtroom by police on May 3, 2023 to enter his plea and for sentencing.
Hayes was sentenced to 12 months jail for drug supply, with a parole date set the same date as his appearance.
For the strangulation, he was given 187 days, of which all had been served in pre-sentence custody.
Another 365 days was taken into account, but not declared.
Full details here.
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