Warwick mums, dads sentenced in court for drug dealing - list

From meth-dealing mums to dads raking in $5000 a day through drug sales, Warwick parents guilty of drug supply and fuelling serious crime in the region can be exposed. Full list revealed.

Scores of drug dealers are brought before the Warwick courts each year to be held accountable for their crimes, with mothers and fathers making up a strong contingent of the town’s suppliers.

Latest data from the Queensland Police Service reveals drug offences remain one of the town’s biggest concerns, with the category making up 18 per cent of Warwick crime in the past year.

Fifty-eight drug offences have been committed in Warwick within the past quarter alone, bringing the yearly total to 258.

A string of parents have faced Warwick courts for drug crimes recently, pleading guilty to offences from running lucrative drug trafficking rings to dealing meth to fuel their own addiction.

Find the full list below:

Monique Sarah Deighton

A Warwick mother-of-seven was sentenced to five years behind bars after pleading guilty to running a region-wide drug trafficking operation.

Monique Sarah Deighton sold meth and marijuana to a customer base of at least 66 people in the Warwick area, building the drug ring over a seven-month period from March to October in 2019.

The Toowoomba Supreme Court heard the 38-year-old continued to offer drugs for a fortnight while on bail for the trafficking charges, which only exacerbated the seriousness of her offending.

Her defence barrister contended Deighton gained little personal benefit from the trafficking, and mainly used the profits to fuel her own habit.

Deighton pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. She will be eligible for parole in May next year.

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Aiden Lee McKell

A Warwick father-to-be narrowly avoided a jail stint after he was busted leading a drug ring that raked in up to $4700 for a single sale.

Police raided Aiden Lee McKell’s home and seized his phone, uncovering text messages that revealed he was selling marijuana daily between September 23 and November 7, 2020.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso told Warwick District Court McKell sold the drugs in weights ranging from 1g to almost half a kilo and earned about $4700 a deal for the largest amounts.

The 28-year-old claimed his commercial operation was driven by his own marijuana habit, which began when he was just 15 years old.

McKell pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ jail but was released on immediate parole.

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Sandra Lee Howard

A mother-of-three walked free from Warwick District Court after pleading guilty to almost 20 drug charges, including supplying meth to the community.

Sandra Lee Howard dealt meth on 10 separate occasions over 12 days in October, 2019, with the drug racking up a street value of $1925.

The 41-year-old was involved in a further four supplies of meth and one of marijuana.

The court heard the Warwick woman only turned to drug dealing to feed her own meth addiction, which spiralled out of control following her son’s and her own cancer diagnoses and the breakdown of her marriage.

Howard was sentenced to 18 months’ jail with immediate release on parole.

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Shane Francis Dachs

A Southern Downs father was slapped with a three-year jail sentence after he was nabbed selling drugs to fuel his own addiction.

Shane Francis Dachs sold “both personal and commercial” amounts of meth and marijuana across 2018 and 2019, and was busted selling firearms within the same period.

Warwick District Court was told the 50-year-old developed a serious addiction to the drugs himself to cope down with his marriage breakdown, and was also relying on meth as a stimulant to manage his fatigue while working as a truck driver.

Dachs pleaded guilty to 21 counts of supplying a dangerous drug, three counts of unlawfully supplying a firearm, and another three drug charges.

He was eligible for parole after a year in custody.

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Krystal-Taih Jean Weil

A botched drug deal and ensuing confrontation with a former friend landed a Warwick mother-of-three in court.

Krystal-Taih Jean Weil was driving on Herbert Street in Allora when the other woman threw a rock at Weil’s windscreen, angering the 28-year-old and prompting her to drive to the person’s home.

Police prosecutor Ken Wiggan told Warwick Magistrates Court Weil seized a large rock and walked into the woman’s driveway, where she hurled the rock three times at the glass sliding door, causing $605 in damages.

Weil claimed she bought $150 worth of marijuana for her friend at the other woman’s request between January 30 and the August incident, but was never repaid despite asking on several occasions.

The Warwick woman pleaded guilty to supplying a dangerous drug and wilful damage.

She was fined $600 and ordered to pay restitution. No conviction was recorded.

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Adrian Charles Dylan Thorne

A 26-year-old Warwick father has been warned by a magistrate to “wake up” and choose between dealing drugs and taking care of his children.

Police raided Adrian Charles Dylan Thorne’s home in December last year, where they uncovered a homemade taser, pocketknife with a concealed blade, and a bong.

Warwick Magistrates Court was told the father-of-two then admitted to police he’d been dealing marijuana across the Warwick and Toowoomba areas.

Acting magistrate Rob Turra gave Thorne a stern reprimand and warned him against future reoffending.

“The problem here is you were before the court in September and the magistrate’s words should have been ringing in your ears when you committed these further offences,” he said.

“You need to decide whether you want to focus on your children and work and those things, or supplying pot and the consequences.”

Thorne pleaded guilty to supplying a dangerous drug, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possessing an item used in the commission of an offence.

He was fined $750.

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Sonja Michelle Brown

A 43-year-old mum claimed a relationship breakdown was the catalyst for her to fall back into a marijuana addiction, with the habit driving her to deal the drug herself.

Sonja Michelle Brown was busted with a mobile phone containing messages from people trying to source marijuana when police raided her Warwick home on November 30, 2020.

The mother-of-five was also found with 6.5g marijuana, three sets of scales, a bong and grinder, and a tick sheet with names and dollar amounts from previous sales.

Defence lawyer Clare Hine told Warwick Magistrates Court her client was introduced to marijuana by her mother at 15, and stayed clean until turning to the drug as a coping mechanism.

Brown pleaded guilty to supplying a dangerous drug, possessing a dangerous drug and drug utensil, and possessing anything connected to a crime.

She was fined $700.

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