Mackay glamour Chloe Victoria Smith to walk free after eight months in jail
After eight months behind bars a popular Queensland lash tech and mum, jailed for her high-profile role in her partner’s meth business, will be released in just days - and she’ll get her luxury property back.
Police & Courts
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A Mackay lash technician and mum of three turned meth trafficker will walk free from jail in six days after a magistrate granted her bail on an alleged violent home invasion.
And she will be able to claim back expensive property including jewellery, a Rolex watch and Gucci wallet previously held by police on the suspicion of being drug proceeds.
The 31-year-old even has plans to restart her beauty business and reconnect with her children.
Chloe Victoria Smith has spent the past eight months of a three-year term behind bars for her role in her then partner Reece William Luscombe’s meth trafficking business.
He was jailed for nine years.
Her parole release date is May 8.
The pair had been arrested in March 2020 following covert police operation Romeo Suitcase, which targeted an alleged drug network spanning from Gold Coast to Cairns with links to the Finks Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
Smith appeared in Mackay Magistrates Court via videolink on Thursday to deal with a number of outstanding charges linked to that offending period including refusing to give police access to her phone, possessing $15,000 cash, two luxury watches and a vial of gold flakes suspected of being drug proceeds.
Police seized a number of other items such as jewellery and luxury goods, but these will be returned to her once she is released on parole.
It was submitted and agreed that Smith had already spent enough time in jail.
“You’ve indicated for a long time you intended to plead guilty to all of these,” Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said.
Smith pleaded guilty to 19 charges including possessing property and cash suspected of being drug proceeds and refusing to allow police access to her phone.
“I can’t jump to the conclusion that there was anything incriminating on that phone,” Ms Hartigan said, adding the criminality was in stymieing the police investigation.
She possessed dangerous and restricted drugs including painkillers, anti-psychotic and hormone medication, antidepressants and fentanyl, which Ms Hartigan said was “20 to 40 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine”.
The court also heard Smith dangerously drove on November 10, 2022 that involving pulling away from a police RBT site, driving home and removing the registration plates from her car.
“You have a limited criminal history,” Ms Hartigan said, adding Smith had not done anything wrong until she met her former partner Luscombe, with whom she had a child.
“It seems that that derailed you. While you had been an occasional user of drugs in the past … nothing like the drugs you became addicted to.
“Ultimately whether it was just you got involved in it, or you felt compelled to be involved in it or you were a willing participant, you weren’t the primary target of this investigation (Romeo Suitcase).
“You’ve paid a heavy price, in jail for eight months away from your children and that would be a traumatic experience.
“You did have your own business before you went into custody and you’re hoping to start that business again and … increase your business to that it’s even more profitable.”
The court heard she also hoped to reconnect with her three young children.
“I do accept … that you were in a controlling and domestically violent relationship with the primary offender here … Luscombe.”
Smith was jailed for 12 months with parole release coinciding with May 8, and disqualified from driving for six months.
She remains charged with burglary with intent by break and causing grievous bodily harm to the partner of her ex husband on June 23, 2022 at South Mackay.
Ms Hartigan granted bail and the court heard these matters had been committed to Mackay District Court.