Albert George Briggs pleads guilty to drugs charges including cocaine possession

Whether it was the tooth or not, a Central Queensland man claims a dentist told him about a “cocaine remedy” but it all went badly wrong for the patient.

A Central Queensland man claims a dentist told him about a “cocaine remedy” for tooth ache but it all went badly wrong for the patient.

Albert George Briggs, 31, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on August 11 to four drugs charges including cocaine possession.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said on March 9, police executed a search warrant at a Falcon Crest home at Zilzie.

Sgt Ongheen said in Briggs’ bedroom, police found a homemade plastic bong which Briggs said was his and he used it to smoke cannabis.

The prosecutor said police also found a set of digital scales belonging to Briggs, which had been used to weigh drugs.

Sgt Ongheen said officers also saw “a number of needles and syringes strewn throughout the bedroom” that were used and uncapped.

“(Briggs) could not provide an emergency reason for failing to dispose of the needles and syringes,” Sgt Ongheen said.

Albert George Briggs.

The court heard Briggs had also been charged with cocaine possession on March 25.

Sgt Ongheen said at 1.30pm on that day, Briggs went to a Hutton Street house at Yeppoon.

“He (Briggs) was speaking with other people there who offered him an amount of cocaine,” Sgt Ongheen said.

“He has taken a small amount of that cocaine on the end of a pair of scissors, and consumed it orally.”

Sgt Ongheen said about 2pm, Briggs contacted Queensland Ambulance Service and requested their attendance “due to having an elevated heart rate” because of the cocaine.

The court heard that when ambulance officers arrived, Briggs gave them a small clip-seal bag before he was taken to Yeppoon Hospital.

Police obtained the clip-seal bag which contained 1.35g of cocaine and Briggs admitted to consuming the drug.

Sgt Ongheen said Briggs told police he consumed the cocaine to heal a tooth ache.

When Briggs’ criminal history was tendered to the court, it heard that drugs had been “a predominant feature” of it since 2016.

Sgt Ongheen said in 2018, Briggs had been sentenced to imprisonment for two months with immediate parole, for possessing dangerous drugs.

In 2021, Briggs was placed on eight months’ probation, which had since expired.

Solicitor Ken Spinaze said Briggs, a father of three and a concreter who was not working at the moment, had a difficult upbringing “which is not unusual for people who come before the courts in relation to drug addiction”.

“This (drug addiction) is a life-long problem that he has been fighting,” Mr Spinaze said.

The solicitor said Briggs had sought help for his drug addiction as early as 2017, and he had a “long association” with Alcohol and Other Drugs Service (AODS) .

Mr Spinaze said in the past, Briggs’ problem had been with the drugs ice, speed and cannabis, but not cocaine.

“This (cocaine offence) was one of those unfortunate situations where he was hanging around a peer group that perhaps he shouldn’t be,” Mr Spinaze said.

“He says there was a person skiting, indicating that he had cocaine.

“My client indicates that he had been told by a dentist that if he put cocaine on a tooth ache it becomes a pain, a form of.”

Mr Spinaze did not finish that sentence and Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale interjected, asking the solicitor if he was submitting for something other than probation.

Mr Spinaze replied: “No, Your Honour, I’m not.”

Ms Beckinsale placed Briggs on 18 months’ probation with conditions including drug testing.

Convictions were recorded.