Billy Neasey, Matthew Shambler sentenced for Central Qld meth trafficking

A drug enterprise with a base in Central Qld was allegedly headed by a 20-year-old woman who tasked two men to chase drug debts, a court has heard. VIDEO, PIC

A drug enterprise based in the Central Highlands was allegedly headed by a 20-year-old woman who tasked two men to chase drug debts, the Supreme Court in Rockhampton heard this week.

The two men, William ‘Billy’ Francis Neasey, 27, and Matthew Ross Shambler, 29, were sentenced for their crimes – some tied to the drug operation and others of their own demise.

Crown prosecutor Monique Bros-Wilshire said Neasey’s trafficking, which ran between May 3, 2023 and September 19, 2023, was captured during Queensland Police Service’s Operation Victor Coup.

Police seized $52,000 worth of drugs and charged 48 people with for allegedly committing 196 offences, including drugs, extortion and robbery, over a nine month period in 2023 across the Central Highlands.

The operation targeted crime syndicates involved in trafficking meth throughout the Emerald, Springsure, Capella and Blackwater areas.

Justice Graeme Crow said it was allegedly “young Lexie Rae Spannagle who was the principal trafficker, but there were several persons caught up in her evil web of trafficking”.

He said the drugs were transported from Brisbane to Central Queensland and the Central Highlands.

Justice Crow said Shambler was in an alleged business partnership with Ms Spannagle, and a romantic one, too.

He said she was allegedly involved in sourcing, transportation and the distribution of meth.

Justice Crow said Ms Spannagle was also alleged to have sourced payments from her customers and allegedly engaged Neasey and Shambler to assist her in “pursuing outstanding debts”.

He said Shambler also allegedly travelled with Ms Spannagle on a fortnightly basis to restock meth supplies.

Shambler once attacked a man who had a drug debt with a wooden baseball bat, hitting his elbow, and left with a newly purchased fridge in lieu of cash owed, the court heard.

Shambler, who attended the Rockhampton Grammar School and is a fifth generation cattle farmer, turned to drugs after the deaths of his grandfather and his best mate.

Emerald's William ‘Billy’ Francis Neasey, 27, trafficked methamphetamines between May 3 and September 19, 2023 and had 30 customers who he supplied at least 20 times.

Neasey, who once did a school-based carpenter apprenticeship through Marist College in Emerald, even employed a driver to run drug deliveries for him after he lost his licence because of drug driving.

Before he was captured trafficking methamphetamines, the court heard Neasey was busted supplying the highly addictive illicit substance four times – with one actual supply taking place.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said after being charged for the supply offences from October and November of 2022, Neasey was released on bail.

She said one of the four supply offences was an offer, two were arrangements to supply and the fourth was an actual supply of 1.75g of meth.

Neasey, a qualified carpenter, was using meth recreationally, but it got out of hand after his brother and father moved interstate to work in a mine in NSW.

Justice Crow said police identified people “commonly associated with each other engaging in the sale of methamphetamines, and on occasion, assisted each other”.

“They communicated various ways, including private communications through Snapchat and also encrypted messaging applications,” he said.

Justice Crow said the individuals allegedly identified were Neasey, Shambler, Ms Spannagle, Wayne Giltro Wilson, Luke Craig Wicks and Matthew John Roberts.

He said the group would occasionally meet up, help each other with sales, pass on customers if they had run out of stock and assist in paying each other’s drug debts.

“They would attend suppliers’ houses for each other when they needed to restock and couldn’t attend themselves,” Justice Crow said.

He said Mr Wicks was allegedly identified as the main supplier.

Neasey trafficked drugs between May 3 and September 19, 2023 and had 30 customers who he supplied to at least 20 times.

He pleaded guilty on August 20 to four counts of supplying drugs and one count each of trafficking drugs, possessing a mobile phone used in the connection of supplying drugs, possessing a drug, possessing items used in a drug crime and possessing used pipe.

Neasey was sentenced to 4.5 years prison with 337 days presentence custody declared as time already served, with the sentence suspended after 337 days and an operational period of five years.

Shambler trafficked drugs between April 13 and September 19.

He pleaded guilty on August 21 to one count of trafficking drugs, one of armed robbery in company with personal violence, two of possessing a thing used in connection with trafficking and one of possessing a dangerous drug.

He was sentenced to 4.5 years prison for the trafficking offence and it was suspended after 12 months with an operational period of five years.

Shambler was also sentenced to three years prison for the armed robbery offence and given parole release on September 7, 2024.

Ms Spannagle, 21, of Emerald, has been charged with one count of trafficking dangerous drugs between April 13 and September 19, 2023. She has not entered a plea and her matter is to be mentioned in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton next on October 21.

Mr Wilson, 34, of Emerald, has been charged with one of possessing more than two grams of a schedule one drug.

He has not entered a plea.

Mr Wicks, 33, of Biggera Waters, has been charged with one count of trafficking drugs between December 1, 2022 and September 22, 2023; one of enter dwelling with intent by break at night uses/threatens violence in company, one of robbery in company, one of assault occasioning bodily harm in company, one of extortion and three other drug related offences.

His matters are to be mentioned in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton on September 24.

No pleas have been entered.

Mr Roberts, 29, of Springsure, pleaded guilty in Emerald Magistrates Court on February 13, 2024, to one count of enter premises and commit indictable offence by break, stealing a vehicle, four counts of receiving tainted property, one of drug driving, three of possessing property suspected of having been used in a drug offence, one of stealing, one possessing drugs and two possessing pipes.

He was sentenced to six months prison wholly suspended and operational for 18 months, and was placed on 18 months probation, fined $500, ordered to pay $2000 compensation and disqualified from driving for three months.

Convictions were recorded.