Rockhampton’s Ashley Moreton-Smith trafficked marijuana via social media

The sad reason a young man ended up trafficking drugs and was busted possessing more than 750 grams of drugs was revealed in court.

Ashley Scott Moreton-Smith, 21, trafficked marijuana between July 22, 2021, to May 7, 2022, Rockhampton District Court heard on November 16.

The sad reason a young man ended up trafficking drugs and was busted possessing more than 750 grams of drugs was revealed in court this week.

Ashley Scott Moreton-Smith, 21, trafficked marijuana between July 22, 2021, to May 7, 2022, Rockhampton District Court heard on November 16.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said Moreton-Smith had at least 29 customers and made 46 supplies via SMS, Facebook messenger and SnapChat between July and 11 February, 2022, when he was first intercepted by police.

He said the defendant became “more secretive”.

Moreton-Smith was intercepted twice by police before a search warrant was executed on May 7, 2022, on Moreton-Smith’s Norman Gardens residence when he was not home.

Judge Chowdhury said police had to force open Moreton-Smith’s bedroom door which was locked.

Police located multiple parcels of marijuana in a backpack in the room, with the total weight being 753 grams.

“(This) suggest the business at least maintained it’s previous profitability,” Judge Chowdhury said.

He said Moreton-Smith would carry out his supplies at the North Rockhampton Red Rooster store and an IGA store.

Ashley Scott Moreton-Smith, 21, trafficked marijuana between July 22, 2021, to May 7, 2022, Rockhampton District Court heard on November 16.Â

Defence barrister Julie Marsden said first started using marijuana, moving onto methamphetamines at 19, after his girlfriend died from pneumonia when he was 15 years old and slipped into depression.

She said he left school during Year 11 and worked at McDonalds for a year, moving on to various retail jobs then was unemployed for about one year.

Ms Marsden said her client was in a bad place and his life spiralled out of control.

She said Moreton-Smith started selling to friends, and later by word of mouth, to fund his own drug use.

“He got stuck in it,” Ms Marsden said.

Ms Marsden said Moreton-Smith was using two to three points of meth per day when he lost his job, became estranged from most of his family and by the end of 2021, realised “he had lost everything”.

She said Moreton-Smith then quit drugs cold-turkey, separated himself from drug associates, got a job, purchased a car, got his driver’s licence and now feels his life has purpose.

Moreton-Smith pleaded guilty to one of trafficking drugs and one of possessing more than 500 grams of a schedule two drug.

Judge Chowdhury sentenced 2.5 years prison, suspended after serving three days, declared three days presentence custody as time served.

The suspended sentence is operational for 2.5 years and convictions were recorded.