Amie Louise Hutton jailed for meth, MDMA, marijuana possession
The lover of a man busted possessing a stolen Maserati and $100,000 cash has been jailed for her own possession of a large amount of cash, meth and gold jewellery.
Police & Courts
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The lover of a man busted with a stolen Maserati and $100,000 cash has been jailed for her own possession of a large amount of cash, meth and gold jewellery.
Amie Louise Hutton, 31, fronted the Supreme Court in Rockhampton this month for offences she committed in June 2023.
Hutton had been in a long-term relationship with Lee Stephen Rice when both were found possessing large sums of cash and drugs in the past two years.
Rice had been searched as part of police Operation Uniform Milton targeting drug trafficking in the Rockhampton region in 2022.
Rice had $97,650 cash in his possession when police searched him at a Bondolla petrol station on May 5, 2022.
Justice Graeme Crow said police searched two properties used by Hutton and Rice - one on Clifton St in Berserker and one at Glendale - on June 2, 2023.
The court heard that while police were at the Clifton Street location on June 2, 2023, they located 1.5 grams of methamphetamine in a clip seal bag inside a sunglasses case in a backpack, along with a glass pipe, five buprenorphine strips, a small amount marijuana, a used meth pipe and 0.336 grams of butanediol (which is used as a source of gamma-hydroxybutyrate, otherwise known as GHB).
Police also found $7515 cash in various locations and 100s of rounds of assorted ammunition in a duffel bag.
The Clifton St property had been subject of a police search during the 2022 operation where police located a silver 2005 Maserati SportsGT sedan and a black Holden ute, and Rice was charged with possessing tainted property in relation to the vehicles.
The court heard the Glendale property had a security camera system for surveillance and a pin code was required to enter the property.
Justice Crow said hidden between the oven and cupboard in a donga on June 2, 2023, were two plastic sandwich bags containing 11.434 grams of pure meth in 15 grams of substance.
He said police also located a bag 4.211 grams of MDMA in 17 grams of substance, other drug paraphernalia and $10,000 cash.
Police also located an assortment of gold jewellery along with another $3500 under a hat case under a stool.
Justice Crow said police located a number of documents with Hutton and Rice’s names on them in the main dwelling, predominantly female clothing, lyrica tablets and other minor drugs along with another $10,000 cash inside a pillow case.
He said Hutton denied knowledge about the drugs and cash inside the donga.
“The amount of money is deeply troubling,” Justice Crow said.
“It’s suggestive of a large commercial operation.”
Hutton was arrested, charged and released on bail.
Defence barrister Nicholas Brown said his client had a teenage daughter who lived with her father.
He said after completing Year 12 by distance education, Hutton worked at the Frenchville Tavern, Wallace Bishop jewellers and Bartlett’s Tavern.
Mr Brown said his client was introduced to meth by Rice.
“That was a disaster for you,” Justice Crow said.
Rice pleaded guilty in February to one count of possessing a thing - namely the $97,650 cash - used in the connection with possessing a dangerous drug, six counts of possessing a dangerous drug, two of possessing tainted property, one of possessing property suspected of being proceeds of a drug offence and two of possessing used drug utensils.
Justice Crow sentenced Rice to 516 days prison and declared 516 days presentence custody as time served.
Hutton pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing more than two grams of a schedule one drug, four of possessing a dangerous drug, one of possessing a relevant substance, one of contravening an order about providing access to electronically stored information, one possession of a category R weapon, one of possessing a thing used in possessing a drug, two counts of possessing tainted property, two of possessing used pipes, one of buy or possess S4 or S8 medicines or hazardous poisons and one possession of explosives.
Justice Crow noted that despite Hutton having a problem with drugs, she had maintained employment until she was incarcerated for these offences and had a minor criminal record prior to being charged for these offences - one-page which contained three drug related offences in 2014, 2016 and 2022.
She was subject of a probation order at the time of this offending.
Justice Crow sentenced Hutton to three years prison, declared 112 days presentence custody as time served and set parole release at August 13, 2025.
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