Shinya Masuda caught bringing marijuana and LSD to Happy Daze music festival

A banana picker on his way south to a ‘psychedelic wonderland’ near Proserpine was pinged in a police operation targeting a popular North Queensland music festival.

Bowen farm worker Shinya Masuda was caught with drugs in his backpack while on the way to a music festival. Picture: Facebook.

A Japanese man in Australia on a working holiday visa has been slapped with a $1200 fine after he was caught bringing illicit drugs to a north Queensland music festival advertised as a “psychedelic wonderland”.

Bowen Magistrates Court heard police stopped tomato farm worker Shinya Masuda as he drove through Ingham on his way to the Happy Daze festival about noon on May 27.

Prosecutor Chelsea Pearson told the court a search of the vehicle uncovered 41 LSD tabs, 9.5 grams of marijuana and various utensils including a pipe, a grinder and a set of digital scales.

Solicitor Cleo Rewald said Masuda had been in Australia for six months, working on banana farms in Tully before relocating to Bowen.

She said he was planning to stay in the country at least another six months and travel more, “depending on what happens with Covid”.

The 25 year old pleaded guilty to possessing property suspected of having been used in connection with a drug offence, possessing utensils or pipes that had been used to smoke a dangerous drug, and two counts of possessing dangerous drugs.

Magistrate Ron Muirhead ordered the forfeiture of the drug utensils.

No convictions were recorded.