Aaron Gary Cooke sentenced over meth lab in Norman Gardens’ McDonalds

Police were called to a disturbance near a McDonalds store. What they uncovered next led to a meth addict spending over a year in prison waiting for the court system to catch up.

Aaron Gary Cook had a meth lab in a storage unit near Norman Gardens McDonalds in February 2023.

A Central Queensland man has fronted court for his fourth drug production charge after police found his latest methamphetamine clandestine lab hidden in a storage complex.

The unusual way police uncovered this lab was revealed during the sentencing of Aaron Gary Cooke, 44, in Rockhampton Supreme Court today.

Crown prosecutor Caleb Theunissen said police were called to a storage unit on Yaamba Road at Norman Gardens near a McDonalds restaurant on February 12, 2023, to reports of a disturbance.

He said upon arrival a man alleged Cooke had assaulted him before running off.

Cooke has not been charged in relation to the alleged assault.

Mr Theunissen said police discovered Cooke had rented a unit in the complex and thought Cooke was hiding.

He said police did not locate Cooke at the storage unit, but did discover many items of interest.

Mr Theunissen said police then attended Cooke’s Frenchville residence but could not locate him.

Police executed a search warrant the following day at the storage unit and found a condenser, a distillation head, a reaction vessel, 190.8 grams of iodine and 7.87 grams of red phosphorus.

CCTV identified Cooke walking into the storage unit carrying two duffel bags and a yellow Pelican case on February 12, 2023, which contained the items used to produce meth.

Cooke’s fingerprints were found on 13 of the seized items.

Mr Theunissen said forensics determined the iodine had the potential to make 111.9 grams of meth, if there were sufficient quantities of pseudoephedrine and phosphorous or red phosphorous.

Cooke was located and arrested in Emerald on February 14, 2023.

The drug addict’s criminal record includes convictions for producing marijuana in 2001, producing about three grams of meth in Emu Park in 2009 and producing about 10 grams of meth with a co-offender in 2010 in a motel room.

Cooke pleaded guilty to the drug offences.

Defence barrister Scott Moon said his client had a 12-year hiatus from drug use after the 2010 conviction with the next entry on his criminal record dated April 21, 2022, a conviction recorded for possessing 0.1g of meth.

“He fell off the wagon and began cooking for his own use,” Mr Moon said.

He said Cooke had broken up with his wife and his life spiralled, starting with returning to associate with the wrong crowd and cooking drugs.

Mr Moon said Cooke’s life was back on track and he had reconciled with his wife.

Justice Graeme Crow said despite this being the fourth time Cooke had been busted producing drugs, in his favour was the 12-year hiatus, his good employment history working in construction and as a crane operator and “his relationship was back on track”.

“You have a big (criminal record),” he said to Cooke.

“You have a target on your back.”

Cooke pleaded guilty to one count of producing dangerous drugs and five of possessing a relevant substance or thing.

He had spent 372 days in presentence custody.

Justice Crow ordered Cooke to a three-year prison term, taking into account his presentence custody, and released him immediately on parole.