Grahame William Rowe: ‘Hardworking’ dad’s drug trafficking empire exposed

A ‘hardworking’ Ipswich boilermaker, who resorted to trafficking cannabis during the pandemic, was busted with up to $220,000 worth of the drug stashed in his home, a court has heard.

A ‘hardworking’ Ipswich boilermaker, who resorted to trafficking huge hauls of cannabis during the pandemic, was busted with up to $220,000 worth of the drug stashed in his home.

Goodna man Grahame William Rowe, 40, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Tuesday to trafficking dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs and possessing property obtained from drug trafficking.

The court heard Rowe came to the attention of authorities during the Australian Federal Police’s Operation Ironside, which has been labelled the “sting of the century”.

Operation Ironside saw more than 100 people across the nation charged with police alleging they had seized 3366kg of drugs and $35 million in “dirty” cash at the culmination of a three-year investigation.

Police uncovered messages exchanged between Rowe and another co-accused to purchase wholesale quantities of cannabis.

Grahame William Rowe. Picture: Supplied

The court heard Rowe bought 86.6 kgs of cannabis from him between December 1, 2020, and June 9, 2021.

A search warrant was executed at Rowe’s home in Goodna where police found 13.6kg of cannabis with an estimated value of $194,000 and $226,000 on June 9, 2021.

They also found $6000 in cash, various iPhones, a cryovac machine and two poker machines.

Rowe’s lawyer told the court his client was a hardworking, qualified boilermaker who started using cannabis to deal with “aches and pains” from work.

He said many people in Rowe’s circle were cannabis users and when Australia’s borders shut during the Covid-19 pandemic it became very difficult to obtain the drug, so Rowe began obtaining cannabis for himself and his friends through a known contact of his but the operation soon “grew out of control.”

Rowe’s lawyer said his client had a family of seven kids with his partner and they were hit hard this year during the Brisbane floods.

Judge Smith sentenced him to three years imprisonment suspended after serving five months.