Toowoomba court: Drug dealers and traffickers across the Darling Downs busted
With Toowoomba recording the biggest increase in reported drug offences across Queensland over the past nine years, see how Darling Downs drug suppliers and traffickers were brought down.
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A state government crime report has found Toowoomba recorded the biggest increase in drug offences across the state over the past nine years.
Data from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office has revealed that while recorded drug offences dropped 11.9 per cent from 2019-20 to 2020-2021, they increased by a massive 166.5 per cent from 2011-12.
That year there were 1195 recorded drug offences at a rate of 821.6 per 100,000 persons.
In 2020-21 a total of 3520 drug offences were recorded at a rate of 2189.6 per 100,000 people.
Here are some of the people to face Toowoomba courts and be convicted of drug trafficking and drug supply offences in 2022:
Jade Maree O’Neill
A 32-year-old mother of two who trafficked meth in Toowoomba and supplied the drug to a dealer in Goondiwindi has been jailed for four years.
Jade Maree O’Neill had trafficked meth at mainly street level for three and half months between May 17, 2020, and September 4, 2020, Toowoomba Supreme Court was told in August.
She was detected through phone messages by police targeting another dealer in Toowoomba, Nathan Lee Thompson, then 33, and a third dealer in Goondiwindi, Clayton Lindsay Mobbs, then 21, who O’Neill was in contact with.
Police described the drug operation involving the trio as “persistent and intense”.
O’Neill pleaded guilty to trafficking meth and to failing to provide her PIN for her phone on police direction when arrested.
She was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail but would be eligible to apply for release on parole as of August 5, 2022, after having served 12 months behind bars.
Corey John Wilson
After almost four years of delays and adjournments, a Toowoomba man has faced court for supplying 0.5g of methylamphetamine in 2018.
Corey John Wilson appeared in Toowoomba District Court on June 24 where he pleaded guilty to supplying a dangerous drug.
The court was told it took 18 months for police to discover the offence, after a mobile phone was seized in connection to a second person’s arrest.
Crown prosecutor Shontelle Petrie said after police analysed the contents of the phone they discovered messages related to the supply of methylamphetamine in October 2018.
Judge Michael Byrne QC placed Wilson on a $200 recognisance to be of good behaviour for six months. A conviction was recorded.
Trent Bruce Richter
While a search warrant was targeting his housemate, police stumbled upon almost 2kg of cannabis hidden in a Toowoomba man’s wardrobe, a court has been told.
Trent Bruce Richter faced Toowoomba District Court on June 13 where he pleaded guilty to 20 counts of supplying a dangerous drug, possessing a dangerous drug in excess of 500g, possessing a dangerous drug and possessing property suspected of being used in commission of a drug offence.
The court was told that on May 7, 2021, police executed a search warrant at a Toowoomba address, with the 22-year-old’s housemate the target of the search, however a search of Richter’s bedroom uncovered 1.79kg of cannabis packed in four vacuum sealed bags.
Richter was sentenced to two years probation, with convictions recorded.
Michael Gregory Bethune
In just five and a half weeks, a methylamphetamine addict was able to build a trafficking business that could supply up to $60,000 of the drug at any one time.
Sourcing drugs from Toowoomba, the Gold Coast and Brisbane, Michael Gregory Bethune supplied quantities from 0.1g to 28g during the height of his drug trafficking operation, that saw him source ounce quantities that he repackaged into smaller quantities to sell at street level.
In Toowoomba Supreme Court on June 3 the 33-year-old recidivist drug offender and long-term addict pleaded guilty to a raft of drug charges, including 11 counts of drug possession, four counts of drug supply, trafficking dangerous drug and two counts of possessing property obtained from trafficking.
Bethune was jailed for seven years, but with 836 days of pre-sentence custody acknowledged as time served was granted immediate parole eligibility.
Martijn De Raad
Police managed to nab a Toowoomba methylamphetamine trafficker after he arrived at an unrelated property that was subject to a drug raid, a court has been told.
Martijn De Raad came to the attention of police on August 24, 2019 when the then 29-year-old arrived at a Toowoomba address that was the subject of a police drug raid.
Police stopped De Raad, and a search of his vehicle uncovered a large quantity of drugs, including 9.2g of methylamphetamine, 10g of MDMA, 0.842g of cocaine as well as $3020 in cash.
Following his arrest and release on bail, police investigations continued into phones seized, which revealed the extent of De Raad’s trafficking.
De Raad appeared in Toowoomba Supreme Court on June 3, 2022, where he pleaded guilty to trafficking in dangerous drugs, five counts of possessing a dangerous drug and contravening an order about information necessary to access an electronic device.
De Raad was convicted and sentenced to three years jail. With 83 days of pre-sentence custody declared as time served De Raad was released on immediate parole.
Aron Neville Wilson
On the run after narrowly avoiding a police raid on his home, a methylamphetamine trafficker was brought down by specialist police following a dramatic 2020 stand-off involving a stolen car and loaded sawn-off shotgun at a Harristown service station.
Aron Neville Wilson, 29, faced Toowoomba Supreme Court on June 6, 2022, where he pleaded guilty to trafficking in dangerous drugs, five counts of possessing dangerous drugs and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Wilson’s enterprise came crashing down on May 15, 2020 when police executed a search warrant on his home, and after refusing to open the door, Wilson managed to escape and fled the scene.
Five days later on May 25, Wilson was spotted in a stolen car at a Harristown service station, and despite attempting to escape he was apprehended at the scene with the assistance of specialist police, including the dog squad.
The court was told a loaded sawn-off shotgun was found in the vehicle.
Justice Martin Burns sentenced Wilson to six years behind bars, but with 739 days of pre-sentence custody recognised as time served made him immediately eligible for parole.
Travis Peter Richardson
A large drug stash hidden in a hotel room bathroom was enough to bring down an ice trafficker, who later absconded from a rehabilitation facility before being arrested in a caravan park.
On November 9, 2020 police attended a Toowoomba hotel to apprehend a woman wanted on an outstanding warrant.
Toowoomba Supreme Court was told that while the subject of the warrant wasn’t found, police did discover Travis Peter Richardson at the room, as well as 2.345g of methylamphetamine.
After he was arrested and taken to the Toowoomba watch house the hotel manager called police to tell them he discovered a toiletry bag hidden behind a panel in the room’s bathroom.
A number of items, including a mobile phone a 12.037g of methylamphetamine, of which 8.401g of which was pure, were found in the bag.
While a number of messages were sent through encrypted applications, police were able to ascertain that the 35-year-old had trafficked methylamphetamine between October 28 and November 9, 2020.
In Toowoomba Supreme Court on June 2, 2022, Richardson pleaded guilty to trafficking dangerous drugs and two charges of possessing dangerous drugs, as well as a number of summary offences including unlawful possession of a weapon, possessing tainted property and possessing dangerous drugs.
Richardson was jailed for three and a half years, but with Justice Burns taking into consideration 112 days of pre-sentence custody as time served set a parole eligibility date of December 2, 2022.
Benjaman John Moore Davies
A recidivist drug offender who was caught dealing wholesale quantities of methylamphetamine while on parole for similar offences has been jailed.
Over the course of five weeks between August and September 2020, Benjaman John Moore Davies and a co-offender trafficked quantities between 0.1g and 28g to eight customers, with Toowoomba Supreme Court told the 35-year-old would source the drug from Toowoomba as well as Ipswich and Warwick in quantities as large as an ounce at a time.
Struggling with his own addiction to ice while trafficking the drug, Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy QC told the court when Davies was eventually arrested on September 25, 2020 he had “no trappings of wealth”, and that police investigations found any profit from the trafficking went towards purchasing more drugs.
In Toowoomba Supreme Court on June 2, 2022 Davies pleaded guilty to trafficking in dangerous drugs, and two unrelated charges of supplying a dangerous drug.
Davies was jailed for four years, but with some of the 615 days of pre-sentence custody recognised as time served, Justice Burns set a parole eligibility date of December 2, 2022.
Bradley Lankester
Leaving home at 18 to live the independent life soon descended into drug use for a Toowoomba man jailed who was for six years for trafficking and possessing meth.
Lankester, 26, pleaded guilty to trafficking, producing and possessing dangerous drugs in Toowoomba Supreme Court in May 2022.
Lankester had a structured upbringing, but he left school after Year 8 due to “severe bullying” and was home schooled for Years 9 and 10, and while he completed three and a half years of a four year painting apprenticeship he left home when he turned 18.
Lankester soon became addicted to cannabis and then, after the break-up with the mother of his child in 2018, he took to meth to which he also became addicted, he said.
Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald said police had searched Lankester’s home in January 2021 and found 26g of substance of which 16.5g was pure meth, a growing cannabis plant and $5000 cash.
He told police he had $10,000 of drugs ready to supply to others and inspection of his phone found he had been trafficking drugs over a 10-month period with a customer base of 49, she said.
Lankester was sentenced to six years in jail but with 420 days of pre-sentence custody declared as time already served, would be eligible to apply for parole as of December 2, 2022.
Hayden Reece Tahu Parata
Stress from an acrimonious divorce had driven a Toowoomba man to heavy drug use and ultimately to supplying others with drugs.
Hayden Reece Tahu Parata was pulled over by a police patrol while driving in Toowoomba on April 17, 2020, and asked if he had “anything to declare” in the car.
The then 28-year-old told police he had some “gear” in a sunglasses case in a bag in the boot, Toowoomba Supreme Court was told in May 2022.
Police opened the case to find the “gear” which turned out to be ice which weighed at 8.5g and was found to have a pure meth weight of 6.078, well above the 2g schedule.
During the search, Parata’s phone “beeped” and a subsequent police search of the phone’s contents found three messages referring to supplies of drugs including offers of a “half ball of meth” (1.7g) for $400, and Eightball of meth for $800 and half an ounce (14g) of cannabis.
Parata pleaded guilty to supplying meth and cannabis and to possessing meth above the 2g schedule and to possessing a mobile phone for drug supply.
Justice Martin Burns sentenced Parata to two and a half years in jail but, in recognition of steps toward rehabilitation, ordered he be released immediately on parole.
Vern Fitzgerald
A 39-year-old Lockyer Valley man, described in court as a “high level street dealer”, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for trafficking meth.
Despite being on Centrelink benefits, Vern Fitzgerald had at least $45,000 placed into his bank accounts between March and May last year, Toowoomba Supreme Court was told in May 2022.
The court heard that was a gross figure and didn’t account for cash sales.
Police who searched Fitzgerald’s Blenheim property on May 25 last year found he had cameras and motion detectors which were linked to a monitor in his bedroom, as well as 27.629g of meth in the kitchen and 41 Buprenorphine strips.
Fitzgerald, described by Mr McCarthy as a “high level street dealer”, had a customer base of at least 40 people and he sourced drugs mainly from a supplier in Brisbane who he visited several times a week, he said.
Justice Burns sentenced Fitzgerald to four-and-a-half years in jail but, declaring the 365 days he had spent in pre-sentence custody as time served under the sentence, ordered the term be suspended after he had served another six months to be released on parole on November 25, 2022.
Kelly-Ann May Sinclair
An extended stint in jail had hopefully turned a long-term drug user’s life around, the 37-year-old mother of three’s barrister has submitted to the Toowoomba Supreme Court.
Kelly-Ann May Sinclair appeared in custody on May 25, 2022, to plead guilty to trafficking ice and occasionally the dangerous drug GHB between September 4, 2020, and January 10, 2021.
Sinclair had been subject to two suspended sentences, a probation order and bail at the time of the trafficking which she continued despite twice being arrested by police.
A search of her mobile phone had led police to ascertain she had a drug customer base of 25 to whom she sold primarily meth on at least 51 occasions during the four-month period with 41 actual supplies.
Justice Martin Burns said ordinarily Sinclair was looking at a sentence of four and a half years.
However, noting she had spent 435 days in pre-sentence custody that wouldn’t be declared under the sentence and “to reflect the impressive effort while in custody”, Justice Burns sentenced Sinclair to three years in jail but ordered she be released on parole on July 16, 2022.
Corianda Marigold Gardiner
A 37-year-old mother of two was jailed for trafficking ice after she had been the target of a police operation investigating drug trafficking in the Stanthorpe area in late 2020 to early 2021.
A police search of Corianda Marigold Gardiner’s home on December 23, 2021, had found a small amount of meth but more seriously police found a series of messages on her mobile phone, which was seized, that pointed to her drug trafficking.
Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald told Toowoomba Supreme Court on May 25, 2022 Gardiner had, over a five month period, trafficked ice to a customer base of about 16 people.
Her operation was to source up to 3.5g of meth at a time before breaking that down into small amounts and selling at street level in amounts from 0.1g to 0.5g, she said.
Gardiner, who sobbed through much of the sentence hearing, pleaded guilty to trafficking meth, supplying cannabis and possessing meth and cannabis and drug utensils.
Gardiner was sentenced to three years in jail but ordered she be released on parole on February 25, 2023, after having served nine months.
Steven John Lewis
A Toowoomba father of two, found with a range of drugs and more than $11,000 in cash, narrowly avoided actual jail time after pleading guilty to trafficking charges.
Steven John Lewis was found with 100g of cannabis, 2.08g of cocaine, 2.18g of ecstasy, 33 tablets of lysergide, and $11,400 during a police search of his home on September 3, 2019, Toowoomba Supreme Court was told on May 24, 2022.
The 35-year-old co-operated fully with police, telling them he had been selling predominantly cannabis and, although he used the drug himself, confessed to selling the drugs for money.
Lewis pleaded guilty to trafficking between June 13, 2019, and September 4, 2019, as well as to possessing drugs above the 2g schedule, and possessing drugs and tainted property (being the $11,400 cash).
He sentenced Lewis to 30 months in jail but ordered he be released on parole immediately.
Mark Alex Simpson
Running drugs and money between Brisbane and Toowoomba over a four-day period left a 35-year-old man with a two-year jail sentence.
Police who spotted Mark Alex Simpson and an associate pull into a service station on the Warrego Highway in the Lockyer Valley became suspicious and approached the pair.
Simpson had co-operated with police but when his associate became non-compliant and argued with police, a struggle ensued during which two packages fell from his clothing, Toowoomba District Court was told in May 2022.
The packages were found to contain 54g of substance of which 40.9g was pure methylamphetamine.
A subsequent search of their car found another package in the centre console containing $8950 cash and an envelope containing another $1000 cash.
Simpson pleaded guilty to four counts of supplying dangerous drugs and was sentenced to two years in jail but was released immediately on parole.
Kim Patricia Dixon
A Toowoomba horse trainer has been hit with hefty fines, and placed on probation, after pleading guilty to a string of drug-related offending.
Kim Patricia Dixon, 29, fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court in April 2022 where she was convicted of supplying and possessing dangerous drugs.
The court was told that about 5.05pm on January 15 police executed a search warrant at a Newtown address that uncovered 1.54g of a crystal substance, scales and money. Police prosecutor Alister Windsor said a search of Dixon’s phone found messages that indicated she had been involved in the supply of dangerous drugs.
Magistrate Howard Osborne fined Dixon a total of $2000, disqualified from driving for 4 months and placed on 12 months probation.
Mathew James Marjapuu
When the pandemic struck causing a downturn in Mathew James Marjapuu’s online business, he turned to dealing cannabis on the streets of Oakey to supplement his own habit.
His “business” came to light after police raided the then 51-year-old’s Oakey home on November 26, 2020, and found 29g of cannabis, a mobile phone used for trafficking cannabis, other drug related items, and $14,000 cash, Toowoomba District Court was told in March.
An examination of his phone found Marjapuu trafficked cannabis between March 3, 2020, and November 26, 2020.
Marjapuu dealt at street level and sold cannabis at between $20 for a 1.5g bag up to $100 a sale.
Investigations found he had been working with a woman who was also trafficking the drug and the pair would pool their resources to buy larger amounts of cannabis which they then onsold.
Judge Ian Dearden sentenced Marjapuu to two years in jail but ordered he be released on parole immediately.
Caige Nathaniel Grant
The convicted drug trafficker was out of jail on parole for just six weeks when he returned to dealing drugs.
Caige Nathaniel Grant had been sentenced in the Toowoomba Supreme Court to a total four-and-a-half year jail term in August 2019 after pleading guilty to trafficking dangerous drugs.
After serving 15 months in pre-sentence custody, which couldn’t be declared under that sentence, he was given a sentence of three years and three months.
However, once the 27-year-old was released from jail on parole on December 16, 2019, six weeks later he was back selling ice while on parole.
In February 2022 Grant pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine and to possessing the drug in a quantity above 2g and he was sentenced to four years in jail, but would be eligible to apply for release on parole as of May 28, 2022.
Crystal Sky Cumming
The Toowoomba woman pleaded guilty to supplying methylamphetamine, though the prosecution conceded there was no proof the deals were completed.
Cumming was detected by police targeting another person in 2019, Toowoomba District Court was told in March 2022.
Messages from Cumming were found on the target man’s phone and both texts purported to suggest separate supplies of methylamphetamine.
However, the supply charges had arisen from acts preparatory to supplying the drug and that there was no evidence either transaction had been completed.
Cumming, 27, pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying meth to another, one on January 10, 2019, the other on March 6, 2019. Cumming was sentenced to six months in jail, the whole term suspended immediately for two years, and two years probation.
David Andrew Weribone
The 52-year-old man trafficked methylamphetamine in the southwest town of St George daily for more than four months to a customer base of about 20 from June to December 2019, Toowoomba Supreme Court was told in February 2022.
Crown prosecutor Nigel Rees told the court Weribone’s drug dealing was generally at “street level” but it had been with some persistence.
“It was a persistent business which only ceased when he was remanded in custody,” he said.
Weribone pleaded guilty to trafficking, four counts of supplying a dangerous drug and to one of possessing a “thing” used to supply a drug.
Justice David Boddice sentenced Weribone to three years in jail but ordered he be released immediately on parole.
Michael Allan Woolacott
Self rehabilitation and the dedication to turn his life around saved the 27-year-old former drug user and trafficker from being returned to jail after he pleaded guilty to trafficking methylamphetamine and cannabis.
Toowoomba Supreme Court was told in February 2022 Woolacott trafficked drugs almost daily over a four-month period in the Dalby area between May 8, 2019, and August 31, 2019, building a customer base of about 48 to whom he supplied the drug at what was considered “street level”.
Justice David Boddice sentenced Woolacott to three years jail, with his immediate release on parole.
Daniel James Vane
A 24-year-old Daniel James Vane paid off a debt to his brother by supplying drugs to others for him.
Crown prosecutor Shontelle Petrie told the court in February Vane had over a period in April and May 2020 supplied the drugs on six occasions.
That included supplying a total 10.5g of meth and 1lb 2oz (510g) of cannabis, Ms Petrie said.
Vane pleaded guilty to six counts of supplying a dangerous drug and to one of possessing a dangerous drug.
Judge Horneman-Wren sentenced Vane to 15 months in jail. However, he ordered he be released immediately on parole.
Selena Jane Yates
A raid of the manager’s quarters of a Toowoomba motor inn uncovered cannabis, drug items and an illegal weapon, but a search of the woman’s phone found that she was supplying drugs from the property
Police executed a search warrant on Raceview Motor Inn on June 2, 2022, where Selena Jane Yates worked and resided, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on October 12.
The motel manager was found in possession of a small quantity of cannabis and other drug items including scales and clipseal bags.
A forensic analysis of the 49-year-old’s phone revealed that in a span of 12 months the mother of five had supplied cannabis to six different people multiple times from July 24, 2019 to as recently as May 26, with the motor inn used on at least one occasion as the location of the drug supply.
In court on Wednesday Yates pleaded guilty to 14 offences including ten counts of supplying a dangerous drug, possessing a dangerous drug and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Magistrate Louise Shephard jailed Yates for 12 months, with an immediate release on parole to serve in the community. She was also fined $500, which was referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry.
Sandra Helene Spijkers
A Warwick woman found with more than 11g of pure meth and $11,500 cash has been sentenced to three years in jail.
However, Sandra Helene Spijkers will not be returned to prison after a judge found the 19 months she’d spent in custody before being sentenced was time enough.
Toowoomba Supreme Court was told in November that police had followed Spijkers as she drove into a residence Ruthven Street about 1am on December 18, 2020.
Due to her extensive criminal history of drugs and other matters, police searched the car she was driving and found 16.781g of methylamphetamine, of which 11.3g was found to be pure, as well as a smaller amount of heroin, suboxone strips, some of the drug GBL.
The 42-year-old spent 592 days in custody before being granted Supreme Court bail, the court was told.
Spijkers pleaded guilty to a number of charges including possessing a dangerous drug in an amount above the 2g schedule.
Justice David Boddice said Spijkers had a “lengthy and appalling criminal history”, but noted she was trying to turn her life around.
A total of 592 days of pre-sentence custody was declared.
Jett Pincham-Brown
A 22-year-old man caught trafficking methamphetamine and cannabis on the streets of Toowoomba has been given a two-and-a-half year jail term.
However, Jett Pincham-Brown will be released next month after spending eight months in custody on the trafficking and other offences.
Toowoomba Supreme Court was told in November the then 21-year-old was found with 28.6g of cannabis during a police search of a Toowoomba home on March 15.
A police analysis of Pincham-Brown’s phone showed trafficked meth and cannabis for a five-week period from February 8, Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald told the court.
Pincham-Brown pleaded guilty to trafficking and possessing dangerous drugs.
Justice David Boddice noted it was “an intense period of trafficking, although a short period of trafficking”.
Telling Pincham-Brown it was important for a young offender to have certainty of release, Justice Boddice said he had reduced the sentence from three years to two and a half years, and declared the 100 days of pre-sentence custody as time served.
Pincham-Brown was released on parole on December 16.
Claudia Faye Costello
An expectant mother who tried to claim a large amount of pure methylamphetamine was left behind by a party guest, but was brought undone by messages on her phone, and cash stashed in her home.
Police raided Claudia Faye Costello’s Warwick home on August 6, 2021, and seized almost 14 grams of a crystal substance that was stashed in several places throughout the residence.
Later forensic testing found that the substance contained about 10.3 grams of pure meth.
In November Crown prosecutor Emily Coley told the Toowoomba Supreme Court that when presented with the drugs, the 22-year-old told police they were not hers and that someone left them in her home after a party.
Despite distancing herself from the drugs, police went on to find about $3700 in cash within the home.
The court was told Costello surrendered her phone which contained text messages detailing evidence of at least two offers from her to sell meth.
Police charged Costello with two counts of supplying a dangerous drug, one of possessing the schedule one drug in excess of two grams and three lesser drug charges.
She pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to two years in jail with immediate parole.
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