Mother to spend Easter in jail for marijuana trafficking

Three young children will spend the next three months without their mother after she was jailed for drug trafficking.

THREE children under six will spend the next three months without their mother after she was jailed for trafficking marijuana on the Capricorn Coast.

Jamie-Lee Taylor Lowden, 25, pleaded guilty on March 12 in Rockhampton District Court to one count each of trafficking marijuana and possessing marijuana, digital scales and two water pipes.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said police executed a search warrant on Lowden’s Zilzie home on March 7 last year and seized her mobile phone which contained Facebook messages outlining her drug trafficking activity which was selling marijuana at street level quantities for $20 and $50.

She said police were able to prove two months of trafficking from the messages, but Lowden’s confessions extended the period to six months.

Ms O’Rourke said Lowden had 16 customers and made about $13,200 profit from about 50 supplies.

“This is a prolific example of street level trafficking of cannabis,” she said.

Defence barrister Maree Wiley said Lowden had three children aged six, three and two with her partner of eight years.

She said her own parents had separated when she was 13 years old due to her mother’s methamphetamine drug addiction and Lowden lived with her father, who was in court with Lowden’s partner in support.

Ms Wiley said Lowden’s partner had been working in the transport sector until she was charged and due to Lowden’s offending, they had lost their rental property.

She said Lowden had gone through a traumatic experience when she was nine but she didn’t tell her parents until she was 11 after her behaviour declined and her parents called the police for help because they couldn’t control her.

The court heard Lowden drank alcohol excessively in her teen years and started smoking marijuana when she was 13.

Ms Wiley said her client fell pregnant with her first child when she was in grade 12 and had been employed in hospitality and cleaning off and on over the years.

She said being charged was a wake up call for Lowden who ceased smoking marijuana months ago and was now on a mental health plan due to issues from childhood trauma.

Ms Wiley pointed out Lowden had not breached bail or reoffended since being charged.

Judge Michael Burnett ordered Lowden to 2.5 years prison with parole release on June 11, 2020.

Originally published as