Joshua Richard Collins pleads guilty to drug possession

When the Grosvenor mine blast happened in 2020 this former Proserpine High student found himself with time and money – so he started using drugs.

A Cannonvale man’s hard partying was his undoing after police found a huge array of drugs stashed at his home.

Meth, cocaine, MDMA, hallucinogen, marijuana – he had it all.

But the 38 year old’s barrister said this blight was an “unusual event” in Joshua Richard Collins’ life.

When the Grosvenor mine blast happened on May 6, 2020 Collins, who worked at the site, had time on his hands and money in his pocket.

The former Proserpine State High School student had been stood down on full pay – also a qualified carpenter, he had been working in the mining industry since 2015.

“For the first time in his life essentially he found himself without disciplined work, he was a single man still being paid a good wage, in Airlie Beach,” barrister Scott McLennan said.

“He began partying to excess and as a result he was using … various drugs.”

Crown prosecutor Eddie Coker said police searched Collins’ home on November 27, 2020 and found numerous drugs.

Mackay Supreme Court heard this included 6.458 grams of pure meth in 8.737 grams of substance, 1.472 grams of pure cocaine in 4.594 grams of substance, 0.621 grams of MDMA, a hallucinogenic drug DMT and 13 grams of marijuana.

Mr Coker said Collins had also been growing five marijuana plants at his home with a total weight of 70 grams.

Collins pleaded guilty to a raft of drug-related charges including aggravated drugs possession, possessing dangerous drugs, producing marijuana, and possessing drug-related items including a cocaine purity test kit and scales.

The court heard Collins had recently had two negative drug tests, which were tendered to Justice David North.

“Mr Collins is very embarrassed to find himself here before the supreme court,” Mr McLennan said.

“He described his arrest as a wake up call, he stopped using drugs since his arrest.”

The court heard he had returned to work a week before police searched his home.

Collins has no prior criminal history and this was the first time he had been before any court – it was accepted all drugs were for personal use.

“You found yourself with time on your hands and money in your pocket,” Justice David North said, addressing Collins in the dock.

“You began partying hard and using drugs.

“(But) you’re going to be given a chance … to prove yourself.”

Collins was jailed for 12 months with immediate parole. Convictions were recorded.