Maxwell Timothy Hellwege pleads guilty to possessing 83g pure meth

A meth-addicted drug dealer’s offending over multiple days can be revealed after he faced court for having $30k worth of the dangerous substance.

Maxwell Timothy Hellwege pleaded guilty to a raft of drug offending including aggravted meth possession.

A former drug dealer who was busted with a huge meth stash with a street value of $30,000 walked free from the courthouse because of his rehabilitation efforts.

Mackay father Maxwell Timothy Hellwege had only spent nine days in custody on remand for aggravated drug offending that commands a 20-year maximum penalty.

But his barrister Scott McLennan highlighted the 30 year old’s proactive efforts towards quitting drug use in his push for immediate release.

Hellwege’s offending occurred in 2021 – on three separate days, April 14, September 17, and October 19.

Police found him with a large amount of drugs and cash and other drug items.

Mackay Supreme Court heard the cash totalled $24,985, while an analysis of the methylamphetamines revealed 83.246g of pure meth in 115.924g of substance.

Crown prosecution said the total street value was about $30,000, and it was accepted he had the drugs for a mixed use – personal and commercial.

And a number of the drug offending occurred while he was on bail for earlier drug offending.

The court heard Hellwege was also found with other items including a record of drug debts, 20 Viagra tablets and nun-chucks.

Maxwell Timothy Hellwege faced court for drug offending.

On the September date he tried to speed away from police and in the course rammed the vehicle pushing it sideways.

On Thursday, March 2, Hellwege pleaded guilty to six offences including aggravated drug possession and dangerous driving.

Mr McLennan said his client self rehabilitated and spent three months in a rehab centre and completed the program – had since secured a job at the mine and had a 10-month-old child.

The court heard within a month of his release from the rehab centre he found work in the mining industry where he is subject to random drug testing – he’s never returned a positive result.

Mr McLennan said sending his client back to jail would have an adverse impact on his rehabilitation efforts.

“What purpose would sending him back into custody have,” he argued.

Justice David North, in sentencing Hellwege, highlighted it was very serious offending, involving a significant quantity of meth at a significant level of purity.

Justice North accepted Hellwege was a “drug dependent person” as well as a drug dealer at the time of his offending.

“A stern response is called for in response to the seriousness of the offending,” Justice North said, adding it was important to balance the prospects for rehabilitation.

He found the most serious feature was Hellwege’s “repeated resort to methylamphetamines and possession of large quantities of it”, including when he was on bail.

“I find that you’ve gone along way towards rehabilitation,” Justice North said.

Hellwege was jailed for five years, suspended immediately and the nine days on remand declared as time already served.

The remainder of the jail term will hang over his head for five years and he must complete two years probation, which will give added supervision.

Convictions were recorded.