CQ prison drug runner Daniel Charles Alick jailed for trafficking meth, marijuana

A drug trafficker who hid a stash in a backpack in a child’s toy truck was busted throwing a drug parcel over a prison farm fence, a court heard.

Daniel Charles Alick, 40, acted as a drug runner for a Capricornia Correctional Centre inmate during an eight-month meth, marijuana trafficking period.

A drug trafficker who hid a stash in a backpack in a child’s toy truck was also busted throwing a drug parcel over a prison farm fence for an inmate who dreamt of making $56,000 while locked up, a court heard.

Daniel Charles Alick, 40, was trafficking drugs to support his own methamphetamines addiction when he was approached to be a “runner” for Capricornia Correctional Centre inmate Clinton John Burns.

Clinton John Burns.

The men and a third co-accused arranged the drug drop where Alick threw the parcel over the prison’s farm’s fence on July 8, 2022.

The inmate who was to pick it up ran towards the fence line to retrieve the parcel, grabbing the attention of prison guards.

Inside the parcel, police located a clip seal bag containing 2.959 grams of pure methamphetamines in 3.889g of substance, four grams of marijuana in another clip seal bag, 113 buprenorphine strips, three tobacco pouches, papers, filters, syringes, a mobile phone and phone charger.

Burns, who was overhead in intercepted phone calls saying he could make $56,000 off 300 buprenorphine, strips was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton on November 9, receiving a four-year prison term with immediate parole eligibility.

Capricornia Correctional Centre at Etna Creek outside Rockhampton.

The third person has yet to have their charges finalised in court, however Alick had his charges of supplying a dangerous drug to a prisoner, trafficking, possessing more than two grams of a schedule one drug and five other related offences, finalised in the Supreme Court on January 31.

Operation Uniform Wilton, targeting several suspected drug traffickers

Alick’s offending was detected as part of the Queensland Police Service’s Operation Uniform Wilton, which targeted several suspected drug traffickers in the region.

Justice Graeme Crow said “several thousands” of telecommunications about drug supplies were found in Alick’s two seized mobile phones, showing he trafficked predominantly in meth and occasionally commercial quantities of marijuana between March 8 and September 2, 2022.

Justice Crow said Alick used unsophisticated codes in his drug dealers to end users and suppliers, with supplies ranging from 0.5 grams to 28 grams of meth and seven grams to 113 grams of marijuana.

He said the estimated income from the 49 sales police were able to find in those messages was $73,000 to $83,000.

Justice Crow said Alick also supplied one gram of meth for $600 to an undercover officer.

‘To use it by smoking it and shooting it up’

Alick was found in possession of 3.84g of pure meth in 5.02g of substance when police went to search a Berserker residence on May 13, 2022, and found him parked outside the residence.

Justice Crow said Alick told police he planned “to use it by smoking it and shooting it up”.

Months later, after the prison drug drop, police found Alick’s drug stash hidden in a backpack in a toy truck in a child’s bedroom.

Police attended Alick’s former partner’s residence on September 1, 2022, to arrest him for trafficking and they found the backpack which contained nine films of buprenorphine bound in Glad Wrap and a clip-seal bag containing four grams of marijuana.

On the bedside table of the main bedroom, police located a clip-seal bag containing 0.557g of meth and two mobile phones, however Alick refused to provide the pin codes to unlock the phones.

Drug history began two decades ago

Police also searched a Lange Street, Frenchville, residence the same day and found $23,250 cash in a wardrobe and two clip-seal bags containing 30 grams of marijuana in a toolbox.

Alick pleaded guilty this week to one count of trafficking a dangerous drug, one of possessing more than two grams of a schedule one drug, one of an aggravated supply of drugs, two of possessing drugs, one of possessing a thing used in trafficking drugs and two of contravening police direction.

His five-page criminal record was littered with drug offences starting when he was 18 years old and in 2017 he was convicted for producing a dangerous drug in the Rockhampton District Court for an inactive drug lab.

He was on parole when he committed the trafficking offence after being sentenced in the Rockhampton District Court in August 2021 for possessing a restricted drug and common assault.

Defence barrister Frank Walsh said Alick, who is a qualified mechanic and diesel fitter, had been working up until his incarceration this time and had a good employment history.

He said his client had periods of drug abstinence, including one period of three years, but returned to using drugs during times of emotional turmoil.

Justice Crow sentenced Alick to six years prison, declared 517 days presentence custody as time served and parole eligibility on August 31, 2024.