Angela Gorrell pleads guilty to dealing marijuana from Witta
Analysis of a pregnant Sunshine Coast hinterland woman’s bank accounts has revealed the extent of her drug dealing side hustle which brought in weekly sales.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A pregnant Sunshine Coast hinterland woman has avoided a stint in jail after she was busted dealing marijuana to several customers over two years.
Angela Bridgette Gorrell walked free from Maroochydore District Court on Thursday after admitting to running her own drug trafficking business from her home in Witta from October 2021 to October 2023.
The Witta woman’s operation was uncovered following a raid on her home on October 19 last year.
Crown prosecutor Rhys Byrne said police found 3g of marijuana, a grinder and a pipe, and Gorrell was given notice to appear in court.
What piqued the interest of police however was the discovery of a tick sheet which depicted a debt owed to her of $350.
Her phone was seized, and police found messages about drug deals to six people.
Police asked her to come in for questioning, where she said she “helped out” three or four people by selling marijuana over two years.
The court heard she sold anywhere from 3.5g for $50 to an ounce for $400 on a weekly basis.
Mr Byrne said the pregnant Witta woman confessed to making $600 from sales each week however her profits went to buying her own marijuana stash.
In reading the facts, Judge Gary Long said analysis of bank statements revealed regular payments into her account including $2360 over 19 transactions from one customer averaging about $100 each deal.
She was charged and later pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to trafficking in dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs and possessing utensils.
Defence barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown said her drug dealing came in the context of a violent relationship which led to her dependence on marijuana, where she effectively supplied drugs to fund her own habit.
Mr Ygoa-McKeown said the pregnant Witta woman abstained from drug use, was remorseful and was seeing a psychologist. He pushed for her not to serve actual jail time.
Judge Long told Gorrell the maximum penalty for drug trafficking increased from 25 years to life in jail to highlight the “inherent seriousness” of what she was involved in.
The District Court Judge however accepted her life was complicated by domestic violence, the rehabilitation she achieved and how she learnt her lesson.
She was jailed for two and a half years’, suspended immediately for three years.
Tactical raids, police intercepts: 20+ Sunshine Coast drug dealers
Through targeted drug raids and police intercepts, detectives and local cops have been making a dent in the Sunshine Coast’s drug trade. We list some of the dealers sentenced in court in the past two years.
Named: Man faces court after alleged sex assault at shopping centre
Child protection detectives have made an arrest of a man who is accused of indecently touching a teenage girl at a popular Sunshine Coast shopping centre, with the man facing court.